Dreaming By A Secret
by Liza Taylor
Summary: Bo is a young carpenter wanting to follow his dreams. There is one problem. Bo is actually a she! Forced to dress up as a boy to train under Dale she is trying to make her dreams come true. However with romance in the air will she keep the secret?COMPLETE
1. Bo's Secret

**Yay! My first Harvest Moon fic! This was an idea that came to me after I had a dream about Bo. Other than being my first HM pic, this is going to be my first story with a romantic aspect as a main part of the plot. So anyway, enjoy.**

The waves slammed against the small boat as it slowly made its way across the ocean. Gulls flew overhead, watching the boat with a sharp eye for any food. Of course there wasn't any. This was a passenger boat, not a fishing one for the moment.

Pascal, the sea captain poked his head into the area below deck. "Hey. We're almost to Castanet. You want to look?"

"Of course," someone moved around in the recesses before stepped out and into the sunlight. Pausing in the sunlight a bit gave Pascal the chance to finally get a good look at the passenger he had taken from the mainland to the small island. The passenger appeared to be male at around seventeen or eighteen. His light colored hair was cut short and spiky, held back by a white scarf. His green eyes were attentive and somehow seemed to go along with the freckles on his cheeks.

"Ummm. Can I help you?" he asked, noticing Pascal's staring.

"Sorry about it my boy," said Pascal, polishing his pipe with his hands. A habit that he had gotten from long ago that he refused to break. "But I did not get a good look at you when you came aboard. You were wearing a long coat and everything." The sea captain laughed. "You looked quite questionable to say in the least but you seem alright now. What's your name?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, seeming to think about something before a grin spread across his face. "Bo," he replied, in a semi-deep voice.

"Well Bo. I hope you have a good time in Castanet." Pascal pointed to a growing mass in the distance. "There it is over there. You may have to squint a bit for now."

Bo nodded his thanks and headed for the front of the ship so he would have a full view of the growing island. There seemed to be a huge mountain jutting out of it, reaching for the sky. _"This is it,"_ he thought, staring at the mass. _"My dream of becoming a master carpenter is finally going to come true."_ He thought of the many things that he had to do to get this far. The many things he had to give up. He reached into the back pocket of his blue pants and pulled out a carefully folded page ripped from a magazine and opened it.

It was an interview out of _Carpenter's Digest, _a magazine dedicated to carpenters. Other than the interview itself, there was a picture of a large man with a dark blue mustache and a dark blue ponytail. Dale. The best carpenter around that hasn't kicked the bucket. Bo looked back at the interview. At the one question that was engraved in his mind and could recite if asked to.

The question, "Can anyone train as a carpenter under you?"

The reply, "Of course. Anyone can train under me. Well, that would be a lie. I do not train everyone. I do not train girls. They are not fit to become carpenters."

_"I'll prove you wrong,"_ thought Bo as he folded the page and put it back in his pocket. He glanced back at Pascal who was now driving the boat. He wondered how Pascal steered when he was talking to Bo but he dismissed it for the moment. That didn't matter. The one thing that did was what Pascal called him. A boy. He was already on the right track. Maybe he could do this after all. He reached up and fingered his short spiky hair. He had almost cried when it was all chopped off. However now he felt like it was worth it. He could become a carpenter and show Dale that anyone could become one.

Because Bo was actually a girl.

**Yes. I made Bo female. Yes there will be relationships and plenty of awkward situations. Well, I'm not going to say any more. See you all next chapter!**


	2. Past The Mine Cart of Doom

**Chapter 2.**

Bo stepped off the boat and onto the dock of Castanet. The sea breeze gently floated around her. She was here! She was in Castanet! Her eyes scanned the dock. The only people on the dock, besides her was a man, carrying some fish to a small shop.

"Now Bo," said Pascal, walking off the small boat behind her. He pointed to the left, into Harmonica Town. "Just keep walking straight until you reach the main road and then walk north. You will reach a church. Walk past it and you'll reach a mine cart. Use that to get to the Garmon Mine District. That's where Dale lives."

"Thanks," Bo placed her hands in front of her and bowed to the sea captain. "I'll see you later!" She ran up the small set of stairs and into the town. Since it was pretty early in the morning the streets were empty. She stared at the multi-colored shops in awe. A bar, tailor shop, inn, clinic, the list went on and on. She couldn't wait to come here later to check all the shops out. Of course she had to remember she was a boy and could not act like a girl.

After she passed the shops, she found the main road and began traveling up it. The path took her to a huge church. She stared up at it in awe. "Wow," she commented. Remembering why she was there, she passed the church and headed down a set of stairs to a…rickety old mine cart.

Bo stared at the mine cart, not really comprehending what was in front of her. It looked so old and rusty. Was it really able to move? She glanced down the mine shaft and shuddered. She couldn't see much except for tracks leading into the darkness. It was impossible. This cart wouldn't move. And even if it did, what would keep it from flying off the tracks in the darkness?

_"There has to be another way up there…"_ she thought, looking around. Of course it didn't help that she didn't bother getting a map of the island. She hung her head in defeat. _"I guess I was too excited to think of complications."_

She was about to head back up the stairs to return to town when she saw a woman walk up the other set of stairs. The woman was older maybe in her thirties. Her light wavy purple hair ended an inch below her face. Her eyes looked tired and sad.

"Oh. Hello. I've never seen you around Are you the new carpenter apprentice?" she asked.

Bo slightly bowed. "Yes. I am. My name is Bo." Excitement filled her. What luck! She had found someone who could help her! "Ummm, how do I get to the Garmon Mine District?"

"I'm Mira," spoke the woman bowing back. She then pointed to the rickety mine cart. "That's the fastest way to the district."

Bo slowly turned around to face the mine cart of impending doom. "A…Are you sure about that? I mean, could there be another way?"

"There is," replied Mira walking over to the mine cart. Surprisingly she was able to climb in with little hindrance. "But it will take you some time to get there if you don't own a horse or some other transporting animal."

Bo gulped. _"It's okay. It's okay. Do it for your dream!"_ She walked over to the mine cart and sat on the other end of it, facing forward, her hands gripping the sides of the cart.

"Here we go," said Mira pushing a button which released the locks holding the mine cart in place.

Bo clenched her teeth and shut her eyes as the mine cart disappeared into the darkness. She wanted to scream in fear but that would just raise unnecessary questions to Mira. She could feel the mine cart going up and down, the wind buffering against her face. _"I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Goodbye dream of being a carpenter."_

"Bo. Open your eyes. We're here."

"Eh?" Bo opened his eyes. Mira was getting out of the mine cart. "I'm alive?"

"Of course you are," Mira chuckled. "Anyway. Just go down the path and Dale's carpenter shop is the last one. You can't miss it. See you later. I need to get to work right now." She walked away, leaving Bo to focus on getting out of the mine cart.

"That was scary," she whispered as she climbed out. She promised herself she would get an animal so she would never have to take this thing again. Suddnely remembering where she was, she glanced around. There were a couple of shops and a huge mountain towering on her left. She leaned her head back but she still could not see the top of the mountain.

Hang on! She shook her head. She couldn't be standing around here! She had to go begin her dream. She hurried towards the carpenter shop, passing a blacksmith, an accessory store and a general shop before reaching a building made out of wood. It looked kind of like a log cabin. Right next to the cabin-like building was an ostrich; a long rope ran from a loop around its neck to a small post in the ground.

The ostrich looked up from its grazing to watch Bo with black eyes. Bo shivered and quickly hurried to the door, out of the view of the ostrich. Why was the ostrich there anyway? She reached up to open the door when someone opened it from the inside and it smacked her dead in the face. Bo hit the ground, her vision blurry.

"Oh! Sorry! Are you okay!?"

Bo blinked and held her head as she slowly got up again. She glanced up at the person who hit her.

"Oh geez," spoke the young man. The blue hair sticking out from under his bandana was messy. His golden eyes were watching her intently. "Dad will kill me if I kill the new apprentice before he can do anything!"

"I'm fine!" snapped Bo, getting to her feet. Who was this guy? She rubbed the spot on her head where the door had hit her. That was going to leave a mark. Suddenly remembering where she was, she felt horrible. This might be her fellow apprentice! She couldn't get on his bad side. "Uhh, it was my fault." She slightly bowed. "I'm Bo."

"Luke," he replied. "Come on inside. I'll tell Dad you're here." He opened the door wide so Bo could walk in before running in and entering a back room, yelling that the new carpenter was here.

Bo took a deep breath and the smell of cut wood filled her nose. This was it. Her dream of becoming a carpenter was finally going to come true. _"Nothing is going to stand in my way,"_ she stepped inside to finally begin her dream.


	3. Can It Be Over Before It Started?

**Chapter 3 of Bo's story.**

The inside of the carpenter home was just as Bo expected it to be. The smell of fresh cut wood was strong in the air. A counter took up the space in the room. She stared in awe at the stools and chairs displayed behind it. They looked…awesome! She couldn't wait to create things like that.

"Dad!" called Luke, running over to someone manning the saw in the back.

The person turned off the machine and turned around. Bo gulped. She would recognize that figure anywhere. His big muscles. The way his white shirt with the light blue jacket sat on his frame. The brown pants that were held up over his big beer belly. The no-nonsense brown gloves filled with wear and use sat on his large fingers. The yellow scarf covering his neck. It was like she had been stalking him or anything. She had just poured over the pictures of him in the magazines so she would be able to recognize him anywhere. It was not stalking. Admiring was a much better word in Bo's eyes.

Bo had to take in a breath before she could force her eyes to travel up to Dale's face. It was just like the pictures of him in the magazines. His face had a harsh quality to it. Maybe it was the way his blue eyebrows seemed to naturally at diagonals or the thick mustache. Noticing the blue ponytail it finally hit home. Luke was his son!

She mentally hit herself for not remembering. There were many interviews about this. How Dale was so good he could leave Castanet but didn't because he wanted his son to be happy. It never said in the interviews why or whether Luke wanted to leave. It was just one of the things that was accepted about Dale.

"Uh oh. Dad I think I broke him," said Luke. He ran over to Bo and poked her on the arm.

Suddenly snapping out of it she glared at him in annoyance. "What?" she snapped.  
Luke jumped back and laughed. "Don't worry Dad. I fixed him."

Bo gulped. She didn't mean to snap. It was just that he had been standing so close. She was afraid he could smell the fact that she wasn't a boy.

"It looks like you did," spoke Dale.

Bo couldn't believe how manly he sounded! He sounded….he sounded like a carpenter! She held her breath as Dale approached her. He towered over her small frame and seemed to stare at her with an appraising eye. Like one would appraise goods at a market.

_"Please don't think I'm a girl. Oh Harvest Goddess. Please don't let him think I'm a girl,"_ she begged in her mind. She wished she had taken the time to recheck her disguise before she came here. What if Dale spotted something not right about her? What would happen then? What would he do if he found out Bo wasn't a boy?

Dale cracked a smile. "Scrawny but cutting down some trees should put some muscles on those arms." He lightly punched Bo in the arm. However she wasn't expecting it and fell to the ground, her shoulder taking the brunt of the wooden floor. "Oh," said Dale. "And put more weight on you."

"Come on Dad. Don't break the apprentice!"

"I'm fine," snapped Bo getting back up.

"Feisty too," commented Dale.

"Yup," agreed Luke.

Bo stared back and forth between the father and son. Her hands were balled into fists. What the heck was with them? Did they like torturing her?

"Right, right," Dale coughed and he returned back into his serious self. "Anyway. Luke. Take-what's your name again?-Bo around the mine district. I want him to know everyone here."

"What about town and Flute Fields?" asked Luke.

Dale waved him off with his hand before walking over to the piece of wood he had been cutting before they had come in. "I'm making Hannah a new stool to use when she milks those cows of hers. I should have it done by tomorrow so take Bo with you along with the rest of the deliveries."

"Alright Dad."

"Umm," spoke Bo. "Where will I be staying? Pascal said he would send someone to bring my stuff up here." All boy-like stuff too. She even went as far as bringing some questionable magazines that were obviously directed at males. Maybe it would help distract the feminism a lot more.

"Oh right. You will be sharing a room with Luke." Dale gestured to a door in the back of the room. "Just go through that one and then another to get into yours. There's only one bathroom and it's near the kitchen." Dale pointed to the adjacent room to the one they were in. Bo could see a door as well as the shiny silver of a fridge.

It hit home. Great. She would be sleeping in the same room with a guy! How difficult will it be to hide it from her roommate? And…oh Goddess, what kind of stuff did a guy keep in their room!?

"Alright. Let's go meet the neighbors!" Luke grabbed her arm. "Wow," he commented looking down at her arm. "Your arm reminds me of a girl's!"

A blush crept up Bo's face and she tore her arm away from Luke's. "I'm not a girl!" she snapped.

"Sorry," Luke held up his hands in the surrender gesture. "Let's go now before Dad decides to make us cut trees-"

"Thanks for reminding me Luke," spoke Dale working on the piece of wood he finished cutting. "I want the two of you out in the forest cutting lumber after this. Luke. Remember to take the clipboard with you."

"Yeah yeah. Come on Bo. Let's go before he assigns us more to do."

Bo bowed slightly to Dale before following Luke outside. She was surprised by how fast he had run.

"Sorry about that," laughed Luke, a clipboard in hand. She recognized it to be the one hanging near the door. He had probably grabbed it on the way out. "Anyway. Let's go."

"Uh, right," said Bo.

Luke and Bo walked to the right of the carpenter shop. There was forest to her right as well as a path. Luke told her it led to a tree that was said to be protected by the Harvest Goddess. Usually people didn't go there unless they had a good reason to. Next to it was a small shop.

"That's the general store," said Luke. He waved to a young woman who was just opening up the store. Her green hair was held back by a bandana and her outfit was simple. "Hey Barbara!" called Luke. "This is Bo. The new apprentice."

"Pleasure to meet you," a big grin broke out in Barbara's face. "Now if Luke gives you any trouble just smack him. He's always a good boy after that."

"Hey!" cried Luke.

Bo chuckled. Barbara seemed like an interesting character. She hoped there would be a chance for her to talk more to her later.

"Come on!" Luke grabbed Bo's arm and began dragging her to the next shop.

"Ack! Bye Barbara!" Bo waved with her free hand before focusing on where Luke was taking her. He was walking up a set of wooden steps which led to a store called the accessory shop. Displayed in the window were necklaces with pretty gemstones.

Bo's feminine side wanted her to sit there and drool. They were so pretty. She hated to admit it but jewelry was always a weak point with her. She almost cried when she removed her earrings to let her ear holes close up.

"Come on Bo. I know they are pretty and shiny but we need to go inside."

Bo did not resist. The inside of the shop was darker than the outside but Bo's eyes trailed to the earrings, necklaces and rings. They were wonderful.

"Hey Mira!" cried Luke loudly to the woman behind the counter.

Bo gasped. It was the lady from the minecart!

"Oh Bo," said Mira. She smiled. "I'm happy that you were able to get there and settle in."

Luke looked back and forth between Mira and Bo. "Oh. That just makes it convenient."

"Mira. What's going on?"

Bo turned to the voice and did a double take. The owner was a guy. At least Bo thought it was a guy. His red rufflely top with what looked like a skirt and black pants made it very confusing. Plus was he wearing makeup? His red eyes seemed to accented pretty well by his facial features. Even his waist length purple hair seemed to scream girl.

"Uh…." Bo opened and closed her mouth. What could she say in this situation?

"Oh come on Julius," said Luke. "I'm just here like I usually am."

"I know," said Julius flipping his hair over his shoulders. His red eyes focused on Bo. "And who might you be?"

"This is Bo!" Luke draped an arm over her shoulder. "He's the new apprentice at my place. Remember? I told you about him last week."

"Oh," spoke Julius slowly, his red eyes narrowing.

Bo gulped.

"Luke. If you don't mind. I need to order something from the shop," spoke Mira.

"Right!" exclaimed Luke holding the clipboard in the air. He dropped it on the counter and took out a pen. The two began speaking about Mira's order making Bo feel really awkward. Plus Julius was still staring at her weird.

"Come over here," said Julius. He gestured to a small display of earrings in the back of the shop.

Bo wanted to refuse but would that make her less manly if she did? Not really seeing much choice she did what Julius asked.

"Pretty aren't they?" asked Julius gesturing to the pretty stones in the case.

"Very," said Bo nervously, her eyes flitting over them. She could feel Julius's eyes on her. He was standing so close! Why?

"Girls like these designs a lot," said Julius. He walked around the case to the back. He took out a key with a flourished motion, unlocked it and took out one of the earring pairs. A set of rubies embedded in silver. He held it up, his elbows leaning on the counter, his eyes forcing Bo not to move. "My question is, why is a pretty girl like you pretending to be a boy?"


	4. Oh No! Did I Just Mess Up?

**Chapter 4. Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You are all awesome!**

–**throws out Bo plushies- **

**Cause of that I decided to write up the next chapter quicker!**

**Bo: No. You just like to torture me and get me in very weird situations…**

**Liza: You think this is bad? Wait until later...-cackles-**

**Bo: ….Oh no….**

Bo stood there shell-shocked. Wait. Did he say what she thought he said? She ran it through her head again. Yup. He had called her a girl. What gave her away? Ack! What could she do now? "W…What are you talking about?" she said, a light chuckle added on at the end. "I'm not a girl. I'm a boy."

Julius just stared at her with a no-nonsense face. It seemed to say, _"Are you kidding me? I know you are a girl."_

Bo glanced back to check on Luke and Mira. They had not seemed to have heard Julius's statement. They seemed to be in a deep discussion whether to have a table painted bright purple or not. Feeling a bit better she returned to look at Julius and felt her heart drop.

"Well?" he asked. He set the earrings on the table and leaned against the glass case with his head in his hand. It was odd but the positioning didn't make him any less intimidating. In fact it made him look prettier and more threatening.

"Ummm, well," began Bo. She bit her lip. What could she say? Could she lie? Tell Julius that she was actually a very feminine guy? From Julius's intense expression though she knew she couldn't. Somehow he was able to tell that she really was a girl complete with all the girlie parts.

"You want to become a carpenter?"

Bo jumped. Julius had spoken in a low tone so she had almost didn't catch it. Not really knowing what else to do she just nodded.

"And you had to dress up as a boy because of Dale's rule about training apprentices right?"

Bo nodded again. She shut her eyes tightly. She could feel tears prickling in the back of them. This was it. She was done. Goodbye dream. She wondered what her parents would think when she came back to their doorstep all crushed and depressed. They had known she had left to follow her carpenter dream but they didn't know about the whole dressing up as a boy deal.

She felt pressure on her head. Confused, she opened her eyes to see Julius rubbing her head with a gentle hand. He was smiling gently. He looked so kind in that moment. He reminded her of her best friend back home. The one that she could tell anything to and would never tell a soul even if she was tortured. "Relax," he whispered. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Eh?" Bo stared at him dumbfounded. Like before it took a couple of moments for what Julius said to get into the deep crevices of her brain. "WHA?"

"Bo!" Luke ran over. His golden eyes were locked on Julius. "Come on Julius!" He poked Bo. "Did he just tell you that he's a guy? That is a quite shocking experience for many."

"Hey," said Julius. He put the earrings back in the glass case. "I cannot help it. I'm just very beautiful." He flipped his hair over his shoulders and Bo wasn't sure but she thought she could see flower petals and the shiny sparkles dancing around him like those shojo animes.

"Yeah yeah," Luke rolled his eyes. "I still think you should dress more manly so people won't get confused. Anyway. Let's go Bo. The blacksmith is next and then we have to go cut wood for my dad after that." Luke was holding Bo's arm again and was in the progress of dragging her out.

"Don't worry," Julius smiled and waved to her. "Come back anytime for a talk. That secret of yours is safe. I won't give it up even in torture."

"Geez," commented Luke as they stepped outside. The door to the accessory shop closed with a clang behind them. He released Bo and turned to look at her. "What the heck was that all about? What secret was he talking about?"

"Oh nothing," said Bo quickly. She smiled. The way Julius said it made her believe it was true. He would not tell. For some reason she even felt she could rely on him.

Luke shrugged. "Uh, okay. Alright. Let's move on!" He led the way to the shop next to the accessory one. It was quite obviously the blacksmith. Luke led the way inside yelling a greeting that was probably heard all the way to Harmonica Town.

"Luke!" A young girl with orange hair glomped Luke. Where the heck did she sprout from?

"Come on Chloe," laughed a tall man who came to rescue Luke from the little girl.

Bo stared at him in shock. The one word that could describe this guy was ripped. His muscles were huge! And based on the way his tight black shirt fit him this guy probably worked out…a lot.

"Don't worry 'bout it Owen," laughed Luke. "I'm used to it. Right Chloe?" He high-fived the little girl in Owen's big arms. "Oh yeah!" He grabbed Bo's arm and dragged her forward. "This is Bo. The new carpenter apprentice."

"Nice to meet you," spoke Owen. The smile he had was genuine. He gently placed Chloe on the ground. "I'm Owen and this is my cousin Chloe."

Remembering her manners she bowed to the two. "Nice to meet you," she spoke. "I'm Bo."

"You should come play with me later," said Chloe. Her smile was more mischievous than Owen's. She reminded Bo of the kids she used to babysit. The ones that caused the most trouble.

"I'll try," said Bo. Those kids although troublemakers were the most fun to play around with.

"Awesome!"

"Now Chloe. I think you have chores to get done?" reminded Owen gently.

"Oh right! Grandpa wants me to get some coal. Bye bye!" The little girl waved before hurrying outside.

"Chloe is energetic as always," laughed Luke. "Is Ramsey in?"

"I'm back here youngster and I was here the whole time!"

Bo jumped and looked around Owen to the rest of the blacksmith shop. Like many of the other stores it was also the home for the owner. A forge was in back of the shop area. An old man was setting down some tools on a rack before joining the small group of guys. Well two guys and one girl.

"Luke. You never have time to take in your surroundings. This is why you should pay attention to the big picture sometimes." His eyes set on Bo. "Hello. I'm Ramsey the blacksmith. I would shake your hand but," he held up his gloved hands which was covered in soot.

"That's fine," said Bo quickly.

"Well, if we are all done here, Bo and I need to go cut some wood before Dad decides to cut us down!"

"Good luck with that," chuckled Owen. "Come by anything. Luke can get annoying."

"Hey!"

"I will," agreed Bo before allowing herself to be dragged outside again. What was with Luke and dragging her around places?

"Okay! Now let's get the wood cutting done!" Without any say in the matter Bo was forcefully dragged back to the carpenter shop. However instead of going inside Luke took her to a small shed in the back of the shop where he pulled out two axes.

"Here is yours," said Luke giving her a plain one.

Luke's on the other hand had racing stripes painted on the shaft. "Decorate it however you want. I just find it fun to paint mine."

Bo nodded but her real attention was focused on the heaviness of the axe. It was much heavier than she realized it was going to be. This was going to be much harder than she thought.

"Follow me," Luke led her over to a small cart made from wood and tossed his axe into it. Confused Bo did the same. The cart looked like the ones that horses pulled. But she had not seen a stable so where was the-

Bo's mouth dropped in shock as Luke led the ostrich over and hitched it to the cart.

"This is Peck. He's a valuable member of the shop," Luke petted the ostrich on the back. In return the ostrich lightly pecked Luke on the head. "Right. Right. I can't forget about Boss."

"Boss?"

"Dad's dog. He's huge and white. He's currently having a play date today so you won't see him until we pick him up tomorrow while doing the deliveries. But you have Peck today so it'll be a-okay!"

While he was speaking Luke was leading Peck deeper into the forest on one of the many trails. Bo had to hurry to keep up with them. Luke was going on and on about how to care for Peck and Boss. They were going to be a part of the many duties she will have to do while under Dale's apprenticeship. She listened intently. She had to make Dale proud of her. To show him that she could do anything!

"Here we are," said Luke when they were deep enough in the forest for his tastes. He let go of Peck's reins and the ostrich began to graze. The young carpenter grabbed his axe out of the cart and gestured for Bo to do the same. He pointed to a fallen tree next to the trail. "Begin by cutting that into smaller pieces and load them onto the cart."

"Okay," said Bo. She bit her lip as she lifted the heavy axe off the cart.

Luke had turned his back to her and had already gotten to work. She watched him for a few moments. His movements were fluid and strong as he hit the axe against the trunk of a tree.

Realizing she was over staring she twisted around and focused her attention on the fallen tree. Sucking in a deep breath she launched the axe forward. The axe smashed into the fallen tree and promptly got stuck. "EH?!" cried Bo struggling to pull it back out. However it would not come out.

"Bo? What's wrong?" Luke came over. He chuckled noticing what had happened.

"Don't laugh!" snapped Bo lightly pushing him.

"Sorry sorry," Luke lifted his axe and struck the fallen tree, breaking it in half and freeing the other axe. "Man. And here I thought you knew how to cut wood properly." He sighed and his grin returned. "Anyway. Just take the wood I cut up and put that in the cart for now."

"Right," said Bo in embarrassment. She didn't talk to Luke for the rest of the time they spent in the forest. She only ran back and forth from the cart to the fallen tree. They only took one quick break for lunch before continuing. By the time they were done the sun was beginning to set.

"Okay. You can stop sulking now," said Luke as they were heading back.

"Uh sorry," said Bo from the back of the cart. It was her job to make sure none of the wood they had collected would fall off the cart.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get better in time. I guarantee it!"

"Thanks Luke," said Bo smiling from her spot in the back. It was sweet that he was trying to make her feel better about this. Well, he was trying to make the male Bo feel better but hey, she couldn't really be picky about this.

Once they were back at the carpenter shop they dropped the cart in the back of the shop and freed Peck before going inside.

"We're back Dad!" called Luke as they stepped inside.

The smell of cooking was clear in the air. Dale stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Good. The bath water is already running so both of you get in the tub and get cleaned off before coming to eat. Your stuff came in Bo. I put it by the door."

"Thanks," said Bo, spotting the two bags by the door. She opened one and grabbed some clothes happy that she planned in advance by putting her underwater in the pants. There was no way she was going to wear men's underwear. That would be odd. She got up and turned to head for the bathroom when the sight of Luke made her freeze in her tracks.

"W…What are you doing!?" she cried, almost forgetting to make her voice deep.

Luke looked at her in confusion, his shirt half off. "Well it would be faster if we both went in at the same time don't you think? Then we can eat faster!"

Bo's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Uh…no. I uh. No. I can't. I mean."

"Oh come on!" said Luke his shirt off now. "It's going to be much easier." He grabbed Bo's arm and began dragging her to the bathroom. "I'm starving. It'll be much faster this way! Come on. We're both guys, it shouldn't matter much."

"NO!" yelled Bo pulling away. Her eyes widen and she looked up to see both Luke and Dale staring at her. Oh Goddess. What had she done?


	5. The Different Ranch Owner

**Bo: Hey everyone! Bo here! Thank you all for all of your reviews but… why do you all like watching me get tortured!?**

**Julius: Well, because that's the whole point of this story. And thank you Winter Oak and Ninny-na! You are in awe of my awesomeness! Julius plushies for you!**

**Bo: -rolls eyes- Enjoy the chapter at my expense! –sulks off-**

Bo's eyes darted back and forth from Luke to Dale. The gears in her head were whirling. What to do, what to do. Her eyes fell on the burner cooking the pot of dinner. "I…I have burn scars."

"Burn scars?" said Luke in confusion.

"Uh yeah," said Bo. She coughed. "Uh, I was in an accident when I was a child." Less details the better, she reminded herself. It would be easier for her to remember it later. She shook her head like it was a horrible memory. "I ended up getting pretty bad scars and I…I don't like showing them to others."

"Oh," said Luke. "I understand. Hey Dad. Can I use the waterfall? Then we'll both be clean!"

Dale was watching Bo intently and for a moment she thought he didn't believe her but he turned back to attend the pot. "Fine. Just make sure no one sees you. I don't want Hamilton arresting you for exposure."

"Don't worry Dad. He can't keep me there," laughed Luke. "Sorry about almost making you do something you don't want to."

"It's okay," said Bo looking away. "Umm, I'll go in now." She rushed past Luke and stepped into the bathroom. She made sure the door was locked before sucking in a deep breath. That was close.

She stepped over to the mirror and stared at her reflection. If she didn't know any better she would have thought the person staring back at her was male. Well, a male with delicate female features but a male all the same. "Do your best Bo," she whispered to her reflection in her real voice.

Her reflection didn't answer.

That was good. If it did Bo would have been seriously worried about herself. She quickly finished her bath and dressed. At least the one good thing about having short hair was the low maintenance. She spoke a couple words to herself in her boy voice to make sure she had it right before stepping outside.

As if it was planned Luke came into the carpenter shop the same time she stepped out.

"Woah!" laughed Luke. "This is awesome! We planned that! Yup. We did."

Bo chuckled. "We did."

"Okay boys. Let's eat," said Dale gruffly pouring soup into three bowls.

Bo sat down at the table and picked up her bowl. Putting the first bite to her mouth she had to force herself to not spit it back out again. It was heavily unseasoned. It tasted blah! Her eyes shifted to Luke who was gulping it down from his bowl. Actually he was already done with his first and was getting his second.

"So," said Dale. "How is it?"

"Great," said Bo making it a show to take another spoonful. "Umm since I am an apprentice. Maybe I should cook tomorrow?"

"That's a good idea," laughed Dale. "Alright then. Bo, you have dinner duties."

Bo smiled. She settled her eyes again on the bowl in front of her. Taking her breath she sucked it up and finished the bowl. Dale offered her a second but she declined, giving the excuse that she wanted to get her half of the room ready.

Dale agreed and Bo grabbed her stuff from near the door and took it to the room. It was quite clean which was surprising in Bo's eyes. Both sides had their own bed and dresser as well as two small bedside tables. Luke's side had posters of different carpenters on the walls as well as sketches of different building projects.

Bo smiled and placed her stuff down on her side. She began filling up the dresser, making sure to keep all the things she needed to keep hidden carefully in the back of the drawers. She noted to herself that after she learned a bit more about carpentry she would create a small space in the dresser to hide the things that needed to be hidden.

After she was done she jumped onto the bed that was hers. It was nice and springy as well as soft. Looking at the wooden bed frame she wondered if it was one of Dale's creations. Her curiosity overtaking her she began examining the bed. She was looking for the tell tale signature Dale put on all of his works.

"Uh, Bo? What are you doing?"

Bo lifted her head in surprise. However since she was looking under the bed at the time her head smacked against the top of the frame. "OW!"

"Sorry about it," said Luke walking over to his bed as Bo retreated out from under hers. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing," replied Bo quickly. Her hand rubbed the spot where she had made contact with the bed frame.

Luke grinned. "You were looking for monsters under the bed weren't you? Admit it!"

"Uh, sure."

Luke laughed and Bo felt her face turn red. "Sorry, sorry," said Luke. "I know you're tired. You should go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day."

Bo nodded and climbed into bed. It was only then that she realized how tired she had been. She had worked harder than she had worked before today and she had been up early too to make sure Pascal didn't see her as a girl. That was the last thought before she fell asleep.

Bo's dreams that night were filled of her future. She dreamt of creating her own items. Desks, chairs, vanities and many other things. She would become the next best carpenter. She would take over Dale's carpenter business. She would become-

"Bo! Up and at 'em!"

Blinding sunlight poured into the room and Bo instinctively put the covers over her head. "Ugh, five more minutes."

"Come on Bo!"

Bo felt the covers get yanked away and the sunlight hit her in the face again. She lifted herself up while keeping her hand over her eyes. Once her eyes were adjusted she opened them to see Luke standing before her grinning like a mad man. "What time is it?" she groaned.

"Seven. Now get up! We have deliveries to make."

"Oh!" The sleepiness gone, she jumped of bed. "Ummm," she said as she headed for the dresser to get out some clothes.

"Oh, right!" he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, forgot about those scars of yours. I'll be outside. Dad made some toast. They aren't burned either which is a plus." Luke left the room.

Bo closed the door and locked it to be extra safe before changing into her work clothes. "You can do it Bo," she whispered to herself before unlocking the door and heading towards the kitchen.

Like Luke promised there was a plate of toast on the table. They were just the right amount of crispy too. She grabbed one and realized she forgot to brush her teeth. She stared at the toast for a few moments. "What am I thinking?" she said to herself. "Hygiene is important." She ran to the bathroom and went through the motions quickly before returning to the toast. She grabbed two and began munching them as she stepped outside.

Even if it was only seven, the mining district was already bustling. In front of the shop, Luke and Dale were loading items onto the cart that was attached to Peck. The ostrich turned to her and watched her with its beady eyes. It was like Peck knew what a fake she was.

"There you are," said Dale gruffly. "Here I thought you would sleep the day away. There's too much to do."

"Sorry," said Bo in embarrassment.

"That's fine," Dale said. "For today anyone." The big man put on a gray chair on the pile and stepped back. "Alright. That's it. You have the list Luke?"

Luke held up a clipboard. "Right here Dad."

"Good. And Bo. Keep an eye on all the places you are going today. One day you will have to make the route by yourself."

"Yes sir!" said Bo happily. She couldn't wait until that day.

"Come on Bo. Let's go!"

Like the day before in the forest, Luke took the lead while Bo followed in the back to make sure nothing fell off or was damaged. Bo's eyes widen as they crossed a wooden bridge, the waterfall's noise was loud. _"So that's what Luke meant when he said he would use the waterfall,"_ she thought.

After the bridge they traveled down a short rugged path which took them to a small pond as well as a farm. The house was huge! Animals were milling around outside. The two farm plots were filled with crops.

"Here we are," said Luke stopping at the door of the farmhouse. The many animals on the farm looked his way for a couple of moments before returning to their grazing and whatever animals did.

"Are the owners rich?" asked Bo.

"Yeah," replied Luke walking up to the door. He hesitated. "And they're a bit…different."

"Different?" Bo cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh…well…you'll see."

Bo watched Luke in confusion. The young blue-haired man had just knocked on the door but he seemed very nervous. Was he nervous about the owners?

"Who is it?" A young woman with short brown hair opened the door. Her eyes were filled with kindness and by the way the door was opened Bo could tell she was the type of person who would be nice to everyone. "Oh! It's Luke. And…who are you?"

"This is Bo," said Luke. He stepped aside so Bo could shake hands with the woman. "Bo. This is Hikari. She's the owner of this place along with her husband Kasey."

"Nice to meet you," said Bo shaking hands with her. Her handshake was warm and kind like the rest of her. Bo wondered what Luke was talking about. Hikari seemed like your typical average caring woman.

"Nice to meet you too Bo," said Hikari. Her eyebrows pushed downwards and the smile slipped slightly as she seemed to hear something that only she could hear.

"Umm, Hikari?" spoke Bo, waving her hand in front of Hikari's face. "Are you okay?"

"I know your secret," Hikari spat angrily.


	6. The First Visit To Town

**Bo: Ahhh! I just get one situation after the other! Why is this happening to me!?**

**Julius: The fanbase loves it Bo. Now bask in the glory!**

**Bo: Keep talking like that and you won't get your own chapter.**

**Julius: 0-0. Okay! It's horrible!**

**Bo: Thanks for agreeing with me.**

Bo froze. Her eyes were wide in shock. How…how could Hikari know? Was there something off with her disguise? Did she forget something? Did Luke realize it as well? Ack! What to do?

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Hearing the new voice, Bo turned to see a brown haired man approaching. Like Hikari he had an openness to him that made him seem extra friendly. A hoe was slung over his shoulder made Bo realize this was probably Kasey.

Hikari released Bo's hand and placed her own on her hips. "Well," she began. She gestured to a spot near Bo's head. "Finn here says he has a secret he can't tell me and he told me about it at the same time!"

"Finn!" groaned Kasey. "I told you not to tell her!"

The two were silent for a moment as if they were listening to something before speaking again. "Finn. I told you to keep your mouth shut about this," snapped Kasey. "Now what? The surprise is ruined! Ruined!"

Bo backed up a few steps until she was next to Luke. "Luke?" she asked, looking back and forth between Hikari and Kasey. It looked like they were talking to something hovering in the air. "What are they doing?"

Luke shrugged. "Well I did warn you they were different."

"They are talking to air," Bo whispered. She hoped they weren't able to hear. How would crazy people react to such a statement? However they didn't seem to hear for they were in a heated argument with the air. "There is obviously something wrong here!"

Luke just shrugged again. 'There's nothing we can do about it. Hamilton told everyone that they saved the island and Jin, the island doctor, checked them out and they were fine. They just talk to air sometimes." He stepped forward and clapped his hands loudly. "Hey! Can you guys stop fighting and get Boss? We have deliveries to make."

"Oh, sorry 'bout that Luke," said Hikari. She glared at a spot in the air. "Look what you made me do Finn!" She turned around and called Boss from the doorway.

Barks echoed inside and two dogs ran to the door. One was a huge white Pyrenees and the other was a border collie.

"Boss!" Luke ran forward and hugged the huge white dog which showered Luke in licks.

Hikari patted the collie on the head. "Don't worry Lady," she said. "Boss will visit later."

Lady barked a response before walking back inside.

"Remember to ask Dale about our suggestion," said Kasey. "I think Boss and Lady are a good match for each other. They both like each other."

"I know," replied Luke getting up. "I will ask him again later today." He laughed. "I think Dad can't picture Boss being a father at all."

The three laughed like it was a inside joke which is probably was.

"No Finn," said Kasey to the air. "Lady will still live with us if Boss does become a parent."

"We'll be going now," said Luke. He gestured for Boss to follow and the dog obediently followed Luke to the cart where he promptly climbed in the back with the deliveries. He gestured for Bo to come quickly as he began leading Peck again.

Bo glanced over at Kasey and Hikari talking to air again and agreed. Yes. This would be a good time to move on.

They left the couple behind and headed down a path. "We're going to Harmonica Town next," explained Luke as they walked through the lush countryside. It was so tranquil and different from the town where Bo had grown up in. There was nature everywhere here. "There we need to make a few stops and then we'll visit Flute Fields."

"Alright," agreed Bo.

The two were silent but it was not uneasy silence. Bo took the quite moment to listen to the birds and feel the wind. The closer they got towards Harmonica Town the more the air began smelling of the sea. When the first buildings came into view Bo gasped. Even though she had seen it the day before it was different viewing it now. She was now a carpenter apprentice! And this island was her home.

"Hi Luke," spoke a short chubby man, walking over as they crossed the bridge to officially enter the colorful town. He was wearing a light blue suit and the way his gray hair was curled made him seem very important.

"Hamilition! Oh. And Gill too."

A young man who gave off a snooty vibe, well to Bo at least, was following the short man. He looked like the kind of guy that would make some girls swoon but Bo wasn't like that. Plus she was supposed to be a guy and swooning might not be in her best interest.

"Is this the new apprentice?" asked Gill. He stood before Bo in his posh outfit and appraised her. Bo had the definite idea that he wanted to become mayor one day. It was just the way he was looking at her. "A bit skinny but I hope you will do good for the town."

"Of course I will," replied Bo. The urge to salute was huge but she ignored it. Gill did not look like the laughing type.

"Sorry bout this but we really need to get going," said Luke, "Deliveries to make!"

"Of course," said Hamilton. He stepped to the side. "Get going!"

Luke waved goodbye and began leading Peck again. They lead the way up the path and past the clinic before stopping in front of the inn.

"Here's where we need to deliver stuff," said Luke walking to the back. Boss jumped off and sat to the side while Luke unloaded a couple of chairs. "Can you go inside and tell them that we're here? Jake likes to look over the stuff before I bring it inside."

"Uh, sure."

Bo nervously entered the inn. It was nice and quaint inside. The coloring of the walls was soft thus giving it a comfort-like feel. A middle-aged man with gray in his black hair walked over to Bo.

"I have never seen you before," spoke the man. "Are you new?"

"Dear, what's going on?" A woman with short orange hair, about the same age as the man walked over. She had been behind the counter but had left as soon as Bo came in.

"Umm, hello. My name is Bo. I'm the new carpenter apprentice. Uh, Luke is waiting outside for Jake to appraise Dale's work." Bo fidgeted nervously. She wondered if she said it right.

"Oh. Thank you." The man, who Bo connected to be Jake left the inn, leaving Bo alone with the woman.

"My name is Colleen," she said, "My daughter Maya will be out here in a moment. Now, I hate to be rude but I really should go with my husband. He might get too picky again."

Bo watched her leave before looking around. Now what? She decided going outside to join everyone would be the best bet but before she could, the door in the back opened and a young woman wearing a bright pink dress-maid uniform-like thing walked out.

"Oh, hello," Bo bowed to her. "I'm guessing you're Maya? I'm Bo. I'm the new carpenter's apprentice."

The woman's eyes widen. "Oh!" she said happily. A grin formed from ear to ear. "Hang on a moment."

Bo watched in confusion as who she thought was Maya went to the fridge in the room and came over to Bo with a plate of cookies. "Please try them. I…I worked so hard to make them right."

Bo blinked and looked down at the cookies. They were the right color and they looked really good. "Sure," she said, picking one up.

Maya's grin widen. "Please tell me if you like them," she said.

Bo placed the cookie in her mouth just as Luke opened the door carrying one of the chairs inside. Bo saw his eyes widen and he seemed to yell something. Maya, she thought. However that was the last image she saw as the horrible taste of the cookie burst in her mouth and her world turned black.


	7. Julius and The BoSenses

**Julius: Yes! It's time for my chapter!**

**Bo: Yeah yeah…have fun with it.**

**Julius: Yes I will! One full chapter of me being fabulous!**

Julius fixed the necklace on display until the light from the window caught on the purple gemstone causing it to shine beautifully. "Perfect," he spoke. He turned and checked on Mira who was behind the counter helping out Barbara with her order.

Julius let a small smile play on his lips. Mira was getting better. In the past she wouldn't have been able to look at the customers in the eye and now she was chatting to them about the weather and such. He turned back to the jewelry cases to check everything was in place. Noticing one was crooked he opened it and began shifting it back when a pang hit him and he stood up quickly.

"My Bo-in-trouble-senses are tingling," he spoke quietly. Great. It was only day two and she was already in trouble? He grinned and threw his hair over his shoulder with a flourished movement. "Well I guess I'll have to go save her then."

"Julius? Where are you going?" asked Mira as Julius crossed the room to the door.

"Out," said Julius. "Don't worry. I shall return in due time."

He left and made his way over to the mine cart. This was no time to take the long way. His senses were telling him that Bo was in trouble now. What the trouble was, he didn't know but it might reveal her secret.

He jumped into the mine cart and released the lock at the same time. The mine cart jolted forward and raced to reach the bottom. Julius wondered if he should have made a superhero costume. That would make the situation more dramatic and epic. Those were fun situations.

The ride was soon over and Julius didn't even wait for it to stop before he leaped off and landed gracefully on his feet. He turned around and kicked the lock up before running up the steps and passed the church.

Once he hit town it took him a few moments to locate where the Bo-senses were leading him. The clinic. "Oh no," he groaned before running in that direction.

He burst inside just before Jin was about to begin his checkup. Bo was lying on one of the beds, clearly unconscious.

"Julius," said Jin in surprise. "What are you doing here?" The man was holding his clipboard. It was obvious Julius had arrived just in time.

"Well," said Julius walking over to the bedside, "What happened to him?"

"Maya's cookies," replied Jin. "Now can you please move out of the way Julius? I want to make sure Bo's alright. Those cookies can cause some major internal damages. Remember the time when she offered Perry that cake?"

Julius shivered. That was not a good image to remember. "Well," he said, knowing Bo's career could be on the line here. When Maya's cooking was involved a head to toe checkup was usually in order. Just in case. The incident with Shelly made it official. "I want to try the checkup thing."

"Hmm?" Jin looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," said Julius chuckling slightly. "I want to learn how to do this full body checkup that you do. Maya has been hanging around the accessory shop lately and I'm afraid for Mira so I want to know how to do it."

Jin groaned. "Someone needs to teach her a lesson. Anyway. Alright."

Julius lifted his hand to his mouth to cover his smile. He felt bad for using Mira to lie but hey, no one was hurt and Bo's dream was on the line.

"Well, let's start with his head then and work our way down."

"Of course," said Julius.

He obeyed Jin's every word as he examined Bo's head. When that was done Julius had to shift down to Bo's chest which was quite a troublesome area considering she was female and all. He moved in front of Jin and blocked the doctor's view as he continued to check over Bo.

It took about a half and hour for the checkup to be completed. And it was a lot of work for Julius to make sure Jin didn't see anything that shouldn't have been seen.

"Well he seems to be alright," said Jin as he checked off the last thing one his clipboard. "Some bed rest and he should be alright."

"Thank the Goddess," said Julius.

"Although it is quite odd that you would be here just in time to check over Bo," Jin shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. Bo's alright. I'm going out to get more supplies. Irene is in the other room, but do you mind staying here for a bit?"

"Of course," said Julius, pulling out a blue jewel from his pocket. "I'll just polish this."

Jin nodded and left. Julius settled on one of the chairs, leaned against the wall of the clinic, crossed one leg over the over before watching Bo as he polished his jewel. "You just don't know the kind of situations you are going to get into after this," he chuckled.

Bo

Bo crackled open an eye. Her head was killing her and she had a horrible taste in her mouth. It tasted like something died! She would never think a girl like Maya could create something that tasted so horrible!

"Good. You're awake. You owe me one by the way."

Bo turned her head to the side to see Julius sitting in a chair by the wall. In his hands was a blue jewel that he was polishing. She slowly sat up, her head was pounding fiercely.

"May not want to get up too quickly. Maya's cooking is vicious. You probably won't be okay until tomorrow."

"I can see that," said Bo. She suddenly thought of something. "Julius. What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," replied Julius. He put the blue jewel back in his pocket and got up. "A full body scan is required after eating Maya's cooking. And well, you know what would have happened if I wasn't here." He walked over to Bo and stood by the bed.

Bo buried her face in her hands. She knew what would happen. Jin would have found out she was a girl. He then would tell Dale and her carpenter dreams would be gone. Ruined. She lifted her head and leaped forward, hugging Julius. "Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem," joke the purple haired man. "Just don't make me do it again alright. I freaked Mira out when I left."

"Sorry," whispered Bo.

Irene who decided she wanted to check on Bo peeked in into the other room. Her mouth dropped in shock and she quickly retreated back to her spot behind the counter. "Kids these days…" she murmured.

Bo released Julius from the hug. Her grin was back on her face. "Well I shouldn't be hanging around here right? I should get back to work on my dream."

"That's the spirit," said Julius. "I'll help you get back to Dale's place. Luke's taking care of the rest of the rounds for today."

"Oh," Bo felt bad for making Luke do all the work. It was her fault for eating those cookies.

"Don't worry," Julius helped Bo out of the bed. "Dale and Luke both understand. Now, let's get you back to Dale's place alright?"


	8. Selena the Dancer

**Bo: Well here's chapter 8.**

**Julius: Why is there none of me in this chapter?**

**Bo: Cause it doesn't. Plus this is the introduce-another-character-essential-to-the-plot chapter. If you appeared in it you'll just ruin it.**

**Julius: Fine…-pouts-**

Bo wiped her forehead and checked off an order on the clipboard she held. "Good," she spoke to herself. "Only one left."

She walked over to Peck's reins and began leading the ostrich to Hamiliton's house where the last delivery of the day was. It was a bit annoying that she had to travel all the way from the pier to the mayor's house but she didn't mind. It was all part of her carpenter job.

Her thoughts drifted over the last week. She couldn't believe she had even been here for so long. After the recovery from the Maya food incident Bo was put back to work. She learned to cut down trees for lumber and the location of everything on Castanet. Now they trusted her to make deliveries by herself! If that didn't show that she was getting somewhere she didn't know what did.

"Well Peck," she said patting the ostrich on his back. "A week and I'm still not gone. That's probably a good thing right?" The huge black-feathered bird squawked in response.

With Hamilton's house in front of her, she left Peck and rang the doorbell. Not much happened. Gill answered and the delivery of the table went by without too much fuss. Although Gill did comment on how much she would help the island prosper but Bo learned not to take it to hear too much. From Luke she found out he said it to everyone.

After Gill had closed the door on her Bo retreated back to Peck. The last thing on the list was an odd one. It told her to visit the bar. However there was nothing left on the cart. She debated whether to go back to the carpenter shop but decided against it. The sun was already beginning to set and if she headed back to the shop she would only make it back after dark. Traveling on a dark road at night was not something she wanted to do.

"Let's just ask Kathy or Hayden what we need to get and bring it early tomorrow," she said to the ostrich.

Peck squawked a reply. Bo picked up the reins and made her way down the hill and past the tailor shop. She smiled in the memory of meeting the women that worked there. Shelly was kind, Luna was exciting and Candace was quiet. She loved going in there and watching the three work. Their personalities were really shown in their work.

She shook her head as the bar came into full view. The windows were spilling pools of yellow light giving it a warm, gentle, welcoming feel. She left Peck outside. She knew the ostrich wouldn't leave. He was trained to not to leave a location if it wasn't home. Luke was very proud of that.

When Bo opened the door to the bar she was greeted with the smell of good food. Even though it was early a couple of the tables were already filled. Barbara, Simon and Phoebe at one, Owen and Ramsey at another and-

"Bo! Over here!" Luke stood on his chair and waved his hands wildly. "Bo! We're over here!"

Dale was sipping his cocktail ignoring Luke's jumping on the chair. "If you fall you are still going to have to work. Injury or not."

"Awwww Dad!" complained Luke. "I have to make sure Bo knows we're here!"

"I think he does," replied Dale as Bo walked over. "Sit down."

"Uh, yes sir," Bo settled down on the chair opposite of the father and son.

Almost immediately Kathy was there. The young woman put down a water glass before Bo. "Hey," she said. "I was wondering when you would eat here."

Bo smiled up at her. When she had first met Kathy she had thought of Kathy being the questionable type cause of her outfit but Bo knew that Kathy was not like that at all. She was a proud happy woman.

"Order anything you like," said Dale. "This is our treat to celebrate your first week apprenticing with me."

"Thank you," said Bo, taking the menu from the center of the table. She quickly looked it over knowing that Kathy needed to go serve the other tables. "The squid tomato soup," she said.

"Anything to drink?" asked Kathy after writing it down on her little book. She grinned. "Maybe some cocktails?"

"Uh, no. Pineapple juice will be fine," she said quickly. There was no way she was going to risk having alcohol in her system. Who knew what she would blurt out drunk?

Kathy shrugged. "Alright."

"Oh come on Bo," said Luke holding up his apple cocktail. "Lighten up a bit."

"No," said Bo quickly. "Alcohol doesn't agree with me."

Luke was about to say something but then the lights dimmed.

"No way!" cried Luke. "I didn't know she was back from her trip to visit her family."

"Well we're in luck then," laughed Dale.

Bo looked back and forth between them in confusion. What's going on? She followed their gaze to the small stage in the back. Hayden was fiddling with the stereo on the side. The usual music was replaced with some exotic thing that Bo didn't know the name of.

A young woman stepped on the stage. Bo's eyes widen. The woman's outfit was more risqué than Kathy's! Her outfit looked like nothing that could be found on Castanet. The woman began to dance. Bo was mesmerized. The woman's dance was exquisite. She flowed from one move to another. The dance was over too fast. Clapping echoed throughout the bar as the woman bowed.

She lifted her head and spotted the table Bo was at. Her eyes widen happily and she hurried over.

"Good job out there Selena," said Luke, all smiles.

"Of course," she replied. Noticing Bo she smiled down at her. "Oh. Is this the new carpenter apprentice you told me about?"

"My name is Bo," she introduced herself.

"Selena. I'm from Toucan Island but I'm here to make it big as a dancer."

"Oh come on Selena. If you get big then you won't be dancing here anymore," said Luke. "That would be a tragedy."

"Oh stop it," said Selena giving Luke a slight push. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Anyway. I should get back to work. See you later Luke."

When Selena was out of earshot Dale lifted his cocktail up to his lips and asked. "So. When are you going to ask her on a date?"

"Huh!?" cried Bo.

"Dad!" cried Luke.

Dale chuckled and turned his eyes to Bo. "My boy has had his eyes on Selena for a while now. However he has been unable to get the courage to ask her out."

"Dad!" Luke's face began to turn bright red.

"Come on son," said Dale. "She might get taken away soon. Just ask her."

"Fine. I will!" Luke got to his feet and walked over to Selena who was talking to Hayden by the stereo.

Bo watched him go. For some strange reason she really wanted Selena to turn him down. What was going on? Did she….like Luke? She shook her head. No. That was bad. Relationship equals bad. It was not going to happen.

"Ah, here comes Luke."

Bo turned her head to Luke. The man was grinning from ear to ear giving Bo the answer before he said it.

"She said yes! We're going on a date next week!"


	9. The Situation in the Forest

**Bo: Well here is chapter 9!**

**Julius: There is bound to be some of me in this one right!?**

**Bo:…..Well enjoy everyone!**

**Julius: Hang on! You didn't answer my question!**

Bo swung her axe with all her might. The sharp pointed edge dug itself deep within the tree. Bo bit her lip and released the axe. The blade was buried deep enough in the tree that it wouldn't fall. She could remove it but she needed to get her emotions in check.

"ARGH!" she cried, rubbing her hands through her short hair. "This is so….infuriating!" She released her hair from the torture of her fingers and stared at the axe. She couldn't understand why it was bothering her so much. Why it should it matter to her who Luke has a relationship with? Plus who is to say that it would go anywhere after the first date?

"AHH!" Bo smacked her head against the tree. "Don't think about it. Don't think about it!" She sighed and pressed her head against the bark of the tree. Two nights ago was still fresh.

After returning from Brass Bar Bo had to deal with Luke talking about his date with Selena for the whole night. She was barely able to get any sleep with all his talking. The next morning had been kind of the same thing. At least she was on deliveries by herself for the rest of the day otherwise she might have gone insane. When she had returned that night it was the same as the last night. Non-stop talking about Selena.

"I'm not going to get any sleep at this rate," she whispered. She lifted her head. What was she doing? She needed to stay focused. Dale wanted-no needed, more wood for the next orders.

She grabbed the handle of the axe and yanked it out of the tree. She was quite happy she could do that on her own now. She immediately got to work cutting down the tree.

Like she had been taught she took breaks often. She was not strong enough to be able to cut a tree down in one sitting. After a quick break and eating a sandwich she got up to continue her work when she saw something move through the forest out of the corner of her eye. Her first thought was that it might be one of the harvest sprites that was said to live here but she dismissed it. Harvest spirits didn't exist. It was just a story for children.

"Oh. It's you Renee," said Bo, recognizing the young brown-haired woman.

"Oh. Bo," she said looking up. Her face was open and gentle. It was clear she was kind and caring.

"Are you looking for something?" asked Bo when Renee turned to look at the forest floor again.

"One of the chickens from the farm is missing and Dad thinks he saw it in here." She smiled. "So, that's why I'm here."

"Well, I hope you find it," replied Bo.

"Me too," sighed Renee, "Dad was going to enter her in the animal contest this year. Well see you later Bo!"

Bo waved goodbye as Renee walked away before returning her attention to the tree at hand. She hoped Renee would find the chicken. She had found all the farm animals to be cute when she visited the ranch to deliver a stool. Ack! She shouldn't be getting distracted like this! She pushed the thoughts of Renee and chickens out of her head and continued to work on the tree.

The sun was pulling itself a bit lower in the sky when the tree finally took the tumble. Bo clamped her hands over her ears as the sound of the tree hitting the ground vibrated through the forest.

"Well," she said. "That took less time than I expected it to. My muscles are getting good at this." She rested her axe by the tree stump before walking away to find Luke.

Luke was working on another tree in a different part of the forest. It wasn't that she needed his help; it was the fact that he had Peck with him as well as the cart. There was no way she could carry the wood all the way back to Dale's place.

Finding Luke was much easier than she expected. All she had to do was follow the sound of chopping wood. She burst into a small clearing. Luke was in front of her but his full attention was onto the tree. The way it wobbled it looked like it was going to fall over soon. Not wanting to bother him until he was done she was about to move to do the side when she saw something white out of the corner of her eye.

She turned her head and gasped as a white chicken calmly walked out of the bushes and through the clearing. The first thought that ran through her mind was wonder. How did a chicken get into this forest? Her second thought was much more worrisome.

"Wait!"

Yes. Her worst fear was here.

Renee burst out of the bushes and caught the chicken in one fell swoop. "I got you," she laughed. "You can't hide from me!"

However at the same time that Renee had grabbed the chicken Luke had swung the final blow with his axe. The sound of splintering wood filled the air. Renee turned in the direction of the sound, her eyes widening as the huge tree started falling towards her.

"Renee!" Bo didn't think. She dove towards Renee. She couldn't let anyone get hurt becuase she didn't call out to Luke to warn him.

Luke on the other hand noticed the situation after he made the final swing. His eyes widen when he saw the tree falling towards Renee and Bo diving in to save her. Luke stared in shock as the tree smashed againist the ground where they both had been standing a moment ago, dust kicking up as its final act.

Luke couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Only a sharp jab from Peck returned him to his body. "BO!" he yelled, running towards the fallen tree.


	10. Oh no! Another Dilemna?

**Julius: Well now it's chapter ten and I'm finally back! **

**Bo: That's great for you, but I got attacked by a tree.**

**Julius: I know! Are you okay!?  
Bo: Can't answer that. Have to read the chapter for that one.**

**Julius: Well then you all and get reading! And oh yeah! If any of you readers want to, you can pose questions to Bo or myself and we'll answer them for you! Heck! Let's get everyone in here to answer questions!**

**Bo: Sure. I'm okay with it! **

Julius's head jerked upwards. His Bo-senses were ringing on full alert. Bo needed him!

"Uh, Julius?" asked Colleen from the other side of the counter. A pair of sapphire earrings were in her hands. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," replied Julius, waving away Collen's concern. Except he wasn't fine. Bo was in trouble! He looked around the accessory shop. Unfortunately, today was the big sale where Mira sold a lot of the jewelry that had been piling up for half price. That caused a lot of the females on Castanet to come in.

The young man checked on Mira working at the other counter. The woman was skillfully taking care of Irene, Shelly and Kathy at the same time.

Julius had the luck of only taking care of Colleen but Candance and Luna had just walked in. There was no way he was going to leave Mira to take care of all these customers. He hoped that Bo would be alright on her own for this one.

Bo

"Bo! Bo!"

Bo groaned and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and her body hurt. And who was calling her? As she regained her senses, she had the strange feeling. The ground wasn't the same. It wasn't hard.

She lifted her head slowly and realized with a jolt that she was splayed across Renee. The young rancher was awake and her face was bright red.

"I'm sorry!" cried Bo quickly. She jumped away from Renee like she had the plague.

"Oh, thank the Goddess you two are okay!"

Bo looked up at the voice and saw Luke staring down at the two of them over the fallen tree. She suddenly remembered what happened. The tree had fallen and she had pushed Renee out of the way.

"I'm alright," said Renee getting up. She didn't look Bo in the eye as she shuffled her feet in the ground. "Umm, thanks for saving me Bo."

"It's alright," replied Bo getting to her feet.

"But I almost got you killed!" cried Renee, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Don't worry about it, said Bo, waving her hands in the air.

"Yeah," agreed Luke. He had joined the two of them on their side of the tree. "It was all my fault for not seeing you in time Renee."

"Yes but…"

"It's fine," Bo smiled. "I don't mind. I mean, saving a pretty girl is what a guy should do when she's in trouble right?"

Renee whirled around but not before Bo saw her face turn another shade of red. Was Renee sick or something?

"Well, I better go," said Renee quickly. "The chicken got away so I have to go find her."

Before Bo or Luke could say anything she was gone. Disappeared into the forest like a harvest sprite.

"That was odd," said Bo. She turned to Luke. He was staring at the direction that Renee had ran with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Luke?"

Luke blinked and looked down at Bo. "Oh sorry. Just thinking. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Bo. She backed up a step, not liking the closeness between them. "Just a few minor scrapes but I'll live. Plus," she gestured to the huge tree. "We should really cut the wood and take it back to your dad or he's going to through a fit."

"That's true," said Luke, his spark back. "Well if you can work."

"I'm fine!" Bo walked over to her axe which she had thrown when she had gone to save Renee. "Now. Let's finish cutting down that tree!"

That evening, after Dale had found out what had happened he reprimanded them both. Bo for continuing to work and Luke for letting Bo do it. He lectured them on how Bo should have been taken to Jin to make sure he was alright or have him rest while Luke finished the job.

As Bo was getting lectured she had noticed something else in the voice of her mentor besides concern for them. She couldn't put her finger on it and she wasn't going to ask either.

After the lecture Bo went ahead and made a quick dinner of soup, the recipe curtsey of her mother. Dinner was quiet without much talk and Bo was happy when it was over. A bath and then she was in bed to rest.

The next morning was another wonderful day. Bo was sitting outside the carpenter shop. She had been banned from going to cut wood for the day. Luke was out delivering orders.

"That is interesting."

Bo jumped and looked up in shock. Dale was standing at the doorway. His eyes were on the objects in Bo's hands. A small carving knife and a piece of wasted wood. Bo had been carving it into the shape of Peck. She had finished the main body and was now putting the finer details in it. "What is?" asked Bo.

"That," Dale gestured to the bird in Bo's hands. "I didn't know you carved."

"Oh well. It's something I picked up," she said quickly. That was a lie. She had her carpenter dream ever since middle school and since she couldn't do much training at that age, she settled to carving instead. She would pick up the useless pieces of wood from the local carpenter and bought a carving knife to use. At first she couldn't make a thing but practice did make perfect.

Dale chuckled. "If you told me about this, I would have booted you up faster. It shows you have steady hands. Tomorrow we can start off by you making a simple chair."

"Really!?" exclaimed Bo in surprise. She was so surprised by his announcement that she had almost rose too high in pitch, back to her normal vocal range.

"Of course," laughed Dale. His eyes seemed to take a distant feel to them. "My wife was also very good at carving."

"Oh," said Bo. Because of _Carpenter's Digest_ she knew that his wife had died but not how and when. He just wouldn't talk about it. It wasn't like she blamed him.

Dale shook his head and the melancholy faded away. "No time to dwell on the past now. Tomorrow we'll get to work."

"Right!" exclaimed Bo happily. It was good they were off that awkward topic. Dale went back inside and Bo continued to work on her carving. She was working on the feathers when she heard Luke calling her as he ran up the final stretch to the Garmon Mine District.

"Bo! Bo! Guess what?"

"Uh, what?" asked Bo. She got up after carefully placing her unfinished ostrich down.

Luke was grinning at her. A bad sign from what she knew of him. Luke placed his hand on Bo's shoulder. "You can thank me after the double date."

"Huh?" asked Bo in confusion. Did she hear him right? Double date?

"Oh wow," commented Luke. "And I thought you noticed."

"What is this about a double date?" asked Bo. She was seriously not liking this.

"You're going with me and Selena. Selena didn't mind. I asked her." Luke was grinning like he had won some kind of award.

"Luke. I still don't get it."

"Oh sorry," Luke winked. "I saw how Renee was looking at you and I couldn't let my fellow carpenter go girlfriendless so," he paused for dramatic effect. "I asked her to join us so it would be a double date!"

Bo froze and she struggled to make coherent sounds as her thoughts raced. What had he done? She couldn't date! She was a girl! A heterosexual girl for crying out loud! "I…," she began.

"Don't worry," said Luke. "I took care of all the details so it'll be fine. I'll just go clarify it with my dad."

"Luke…wait…no…"

Luke however ignored Bo's pleas as he went into the carpenter shop. Bo just stood there shocked. She would have to go on a date with a girl. Could it get any worse? She swallowed slowly and walked away from the carpenter shop. There was only one place she could go at a time like this.

The bell above the accessory shop clinked as she entered. Mira was thankfully not there at the current time.

"Oh Bo," said Julius stepping out from the counter. He was about to say something else when Bo spoke.

"Julius!" she cried, "HELP!"


	11. A Talk With Julius

**Bo: It's chapter 11!**

**Julius: Well, shall we answer the questions posed by the readers first?**

**Bo: Sure. Okay, it looks like the first is from Winter Oak for you Julius. The question is, "Why do you do so much for Bo?" Julius?**

**Julius: Well how do I answer this one? I guess it's because I find this to be a very interesting situation. I mean, it isn't every day that a girl dresses up for a boy for something and I thought it would be fun to help her out.**

**Bo: Why thank you Julius.**

**Julius: You are welcome Bo. Now, next question! From ninja-lemondrop15! "****What's it like, being socially martyred every so often (okay, all the time) for our enjoyment?"**

**Bo: I do not enjoy it at all. It's horrible and I don't understand why all of you people enjoy it so much! Why!? Just because I'm in awkward situations! ARGH!**

**Julius: Bo. Calm down.**

**Bo: Sorry. Anyway. Final question. Also from ninja-lemondrop15 for you Julius-I mean Julius the Great….what kind of question is this!?**

**Julius: Bo, what's the question?**

**Bo: Is it hard being so utterly, irrevocably fabulous?**

**Julius: Of course! I work hard to be who I am. If I didn't, I wouldn't be the same lovable character that I am!**

**Bo: Someone is boasting a bit too much.**

**Julius: Now now Bo. If I had to choose between being fabulous for a day and helping you out, I would gladly chose helping you!**

**Bo: That's so sweet Julius! –glomps- Anyway! Fox's question will be answered, with you'll have to continue reading to find out! Well, that ends the question corner for this chapter!**

"Oh my," said Julius as Bo finished her tale.

The two were in the back room of the accessory shop, aka Mira's living area. Julius had put a "gone out to lunch" sign on the door so they would not be disturbed. Julius was sitting in a fabulous purple chair with a comfy cushion and Bo was sitting on the other fabulous one, this one gray. Bo had a cup of herbal tea in her hands, courtesy of Julius.

"What should I do?" asked Bo. "I mean…I can't…" She looked down at the cup of herbal tea. What could she say?

Julius leaned back in his fabulous chair. "Well you did bring it upon yourself. You did call her pretty."

"I only said that because I thought it was the right thing to say," protested Bo. "I didn't think she would take it in I-like-you way!"

Julius sighed. "Bo. If a guy told that to you, what would you think?"

Bo closed her mouth and looked away. Like always Julius was right. Of course Renee would think that. "Julius. What can I do about this? I have to get out of this date!"

"I have two options for you," said Julius, lifting up two fingers. "First one. You go on this date with Renee."

"That is not an option!" cried Bo. "I'm a girl!"

"So?" asked Julius. "You're pretending to be a boy. So act like one. Go on the date. You don't have to do anything."

Bo shook her head. "What about option two?"

Julius smiled and reached over to Bo and lifted her head with his index finger and drew in close. "You can just say that you can't because we're dating."

Bo turned bright red and scrambled out of her seat and was on the other side of the room before anyone could say harvest goddess. "That's a good idea either!" she cried.

"It was just a suggestion," replied Julius. He shrugged and sat back down in his fabulous chair.

"But…" said Bo. "Then Luke would think…" Her mind sent mental images from all those comics she used to read. "AGH!" she shook her head. "That's not a good idea! I don't want to make it awkward between us. I mean we share a room together and I don't want Luke to think-"

"I get it," replied Julius, cutting her off. A knowing smile accented his features. "Then I think option one is your best bet."

"It looks like I don't really have a choice in this," said Bo. She put the herbal tea down on the table. "Thanks for helping me out Julius."

Julius nodded. "Come by anytime. Oh yes. And come the day before the date day so I may give you some pointers."

"Okay," said Bo before heading for the door.

Stepping outside, the noon sun hit her full in the face. She placed her hand over her head to shade her eyes as she looked up. The sky was pleasant. Nothing like how she was feeling inside.

She heard someone coming by and she looked to see it was Hikari. The young woman was clearly annoyed and she was muttering to herself as she walked.

"Hikari?" asked Bo. "What's wrong?"

She turned to Bo. "Oh it's you Bo," she said. "I thought it was my no-good husband."

"Did something happen?" asked Bo. "Did you two get in a fight?"

Hikari crossed her arms. "It's worse than that. He's having an affair. I just know it!"

Bo's eyes widen. "That's horrible!" she cried. Even if Hikari was a bit weird, for Kasey to have an affair…it was too horrible to even think about!

"I know it is," replied Hikari. "And I know who it is."

"Who?"

"The Harvest Goddess."

Bo's anger was gone faster than it came Ok-ay. Looks like Hikari was being weird again. "Oh?" she said.

Hikari nodded. "Yeah. I mean, the Harvest Goddess is pretty after all but still! I'm going to go teach him a lesson right now. I'm on my way to see the Harvest God!"

"Oh," said Bo again.

"See you!" Hikari waved goodbye before heading towards the mine.

Bo on the other hand went in the other direction, back to Dale's carpenter shop. The best thing to do at the moment was to walk away. When she reached the shop, she was about to go inside when she saw Kasey coming up the path. Like Hikari he was also annoyed.

"Let me guess," said Bo. "You think Hikari is having an affair with the Harvest God so you are going to get back at her by spending time with the Harvest Goddess?"

Kasey blinked in surprise. "How did you know Bo?"

"Lucky guess," replied Bo. "Anyway. I should be going now!" She ran into the shop before Kasey could continue to talk to her.

Linelineline

The next day Bo and Dale were inside the shop. Dale was instructing Bo on how to make a chair and Bo realized she was pretty good at it.

While Bo was rubbing sandpaper on the chair legs Dale was working on an order for Perry.

"So," said Dale. "Luke told me about the date."

"Oh," said Bo. She gulped.

"And I want you to know that Cain and Hanna are good customers so…"

"Oh," said Bo quickly. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to hurt her. Or do anything stupid or anything like that." Well it wasn't that she could to begin with but Dale didn't know that and she would keep it that way.

Dale chuckled. "I assumed that you would. Unlike that son of mine, you seem to have a good sense of responsibility."

"Oh?" Bo chuckled and continued to work on the chair. She hated the fact she was deceiving Dale at that moment. The person Dale saw and the person she was was two different people. Maybe one day. Maybe one day she will tell Dale that she is a girl. But not today. Her dream was still incomplete.


	12. Double Date Day!

**Bo: Well here is chapter 12. Coming at you early because the write loves torturing me! –sulks-**

**Julius: But this is awesome! I'm sure everyone will love it!**

**Bo: Duh! Cause I'm in more awkward situations!**

Bo fidgeted. This could not be happening. How did she end up in this situation? Why? Why? Was there someone out there that enjoyed her getting into these situations?

"Don't worry!" Luke smacked Bo hard on the back. "It'll be alright."

It was the day of the big double date. Bo and Luke were waiting by the pier but the cool waves from the ocean did nothing to calm Bo's anxiety. They were both dressed in nicer clothes than their usual wear but even on a date Luke had refused to get rid of his signature fire bandana.

Bo seriously wished she had taken up Julius's offer for option 2. It couldn't be much worse than this!

"What are you two doing?" asked Toby as he walked by, his signature fishing pole resting on his shoulder. When Bo had first met him she wondered how he could see with his eyes closed like that. Actually she still wondered.

"We're on a double date," said Luke. A giant grin lit up his face. "It's going to be awesome!"

"Oh?" said Toby. It was clear he didn't care. He walked down to the pier and casted his line into the water.

"They're here!" exclaimed Luke.

Bo's head snapped to look at the girls. They were definitely dressed up for a date. Selena was wearing some exotic red dress thing that showed way too much of her tanned skin for Bo's taste. Her hair was pulled up in its usual style but a red hibiscus was in it added to the exoticness. Renee on the other hand was wearing a simple blue dress that had long sleeves and a long skirt so her legs and arms were covered, making her a symbol of modesty. The complete opposite of Selena.

"Did you wait long?" asked Selena at the same time Renee said, "Sorry we're late."

"Nope," Luke grinned. "We just got here. Shall we go to the Brass Bar?"

Luke walked next to Selena and Bo realized that Renee was waiting for her so they could walk side by side. She quickly complied.

When they reached the door to the Brass Bar Luke held the door open for Selena. Following his lead Bo did the same for Renee. Before she walked into the bar herself however her eyes traveled down to the pier.

Toby was watching her, his fishing pole clutched tightly in his hands. For some reason Bo had a bad feeling for the stare even though Toby's face seemed to be the same. She couldn't really tell since she as so far away.

"Bo?" asked Renee from inside. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," replied Bo as she stepped into the Brass Bar, the closing of the door signaling the end of her thoughts on Toby.

Linelineline

"And then I grabbed Boss and wrestled him to the ground!" exclaimed Luke as he demonstrated with salt and pepper shakers.

Bo wasn't listening to the story. She had already heard it. Instead her eyes were set on Renee who sat opposite of her. The woman was shyly eating her soup she had ordered for their late lunch date and she kept looking up at Bo through her lashes when she thought Bo wasn't looking.

AWKWARD!

"So," said Bo. She knew she had to break this silence between them or she would go crazy!

"Yes?" asked Renee. She was now stiff as a board. Her eyes were down on her soup, face flushed.

Ummm," said Bo. Great. She didn't know what to say. "Are you sure you're okay? You know, from the tree incident?"

"Fine," replied Renee quickly. "I mean you were the one who could have gotten killed to save me."

"Oh."

Silence.

"What about the chicken?" asked Bo.

"I caught her," replied Renee. "She was a bit tired so that's why I was able to catch her. Umm, dad was really happy. And the chickens were as well. And the cows and…"

Bo sighed in relief. She was happy that Renee was finally talking. She listened attentively as Renee went on about the different animals that were raised on the ranch. Bo rested her head in her hand, her elbow on the table as she listened to Renee. The young woman's eyes were shining in happiness as she continued to talk.

Bo shifted her eyes to the left and saw Luke and Selena were in a discussion about dancing. Something involving break dancing or something like that. She watched as Luke's face shift and change from attentive to laugher in mere moments. Sure he showed all those emotions to Bo but the way he looked at Selena, there was some other emotion that was playing across his face. Something else.

"I'm sorry!"

Bo turned back to Renee. She was looking down again. "I'm boring you aren't I? I'm talking too much about myself. Oh goddess, I'm embarrassed."

"It's fine," said Bo quickly. "No bother."

"Umm, maybe you should talk about yourself?"

Bo blinked slowly. "Ummm, well…I like carpentry."

Renee chuckled. "I would assume that."

Oh right. She was a carpenter apprentice. It would seem weird otherwise if she didn't like carpentry. She ran her other interest through mind. She needed to find one that didn't scream girl. "Uh, well, you know-"

"Carving."

Bo and Renee looked at Luke. "Bo here is awesome at carving," he continued. "And he's an awesome cook!"

_"That's because you and Dale can't cook,"_ thought Bo.

"You can carve and cook?" asked Renee. "That's cool. I cannot carve but I can cook!"

Bo saw out of the corner of her eye that Luke was giving her a thumbs up. She released a small smile and focused her full attention on Renee as they discussed cooking tips. Maybe this day won't be so bad after all.

Linelineline

"Today was a good day," said Luke as the carpenter apprentices walked out of the Brass Bar. Luke had laced his hands behind his head and turned back to Bo. "Good luck," he winked. "Good thing it's only dusk since it's going to take you a while to take Renee home."

"Walk her home!?" cried Bo. She clapped her hands over her mouth and peeked back into the bar. Renee was talking to Kathy and Selena and didn't seem to hear Bo's outburst. Bo turned back to argue with Luke but he was gone. Bo could see him in the distance sprinting towards the mine cart. Her mouth dropped in shock. Luke had ditched her! He ditched her!

"Bo?"

Bo jumped and whirled around to see Renee standing there. "Oh. Hi Renee," Bo laughed nervously.

"You don't have to walk me home," said Renee. Bo felt horrible for the expression on Renee's face. She knew what a girl would feel in this situation. She would want her date to take her home and since she was pretending to be a guy…

"Let's go."

Renee's eyes widen but she didn't protest as the two began the walk back to Flute Fields. They walked in silence but it was a gentle one. They were both in their own little worlds. Bo wondered what the heck to do. What would she do if Renee asked for another date? There was no way she could do this again! She could come into this one thinking she was going out with a friend. A close female friend.

"I can walk the rest of the way myself," said Renee when they reached the middle of the bridge connection Flute Fields to Kasey and Hikari's land. Renee had turned to face Bo. The moonlight from above shone down making every little detail on the bridge appear in picture perfect quality.

"Ummm," Renee put her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Again. Thanks for saving me. I mean-"

"It's fine," said Bo She smiled. "Like I said. It would be a shame if a pretty girl like you died like that."

Renee's hands were clutched tightly against her chest. "Bo," she began. She looked down and away as the gentle wind of summer wafted around them.

"What is it?" asked Bo.

"I…I've always dreamed of having a prince come save me. I mean, you know, there are no more princes around, well none that I know of but." She paused and took in a breath. What was going on here? Bo was really confused. "I don't know how to say this."

"Say what?" asked Bo.

"That I…"

"Yes?" asked Bo.

"I…"

Bo leaned closer to Renee. What was wrong with her? What was she trying to say? "What is it Renee?"

"That I…" her voice trailed off as she looked up at Bo, only a few centimeters away from her. "I…" Renee was leaning towards Bo. Slowly. Ever so slowly.

It clicked.

Oh goddess it clicked in Bo's mind. Bo's face turned red and she grabbed Renee by the shoulders and pushed her back. "NO!" yelled Bo.

Renee lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.

Bo looked down at her in shock and her hands went to her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she yelled before running. She didn't really know where she was going but she had to get away from there. She was almost kissed by a girl! How could she have let something like this happen? Her cheeks were wet as she ran through the night. She hated Julius. She hated Julius for suggesting the idea that she went through with this. If he hadn't. If he hadn't, then she wouldn't be in this mess.

Bo continued to run. It didn't matter where she went. All she had to do was get away.


	13. A Powerful Storm

**Julius: Chapter 13 is here for your enjoyment! And there is a lovely poll going on about Bo and her love interest. It won't affect the ending but the writer is very curious what you all think. Now, where has Bo gotten to?**

Julius clicked off his tv and threw the remote down on the couch. Outside, the typhoon blew violently and shook the windows. Based on the news, it was going to be a typhoon all day today. Oh well. He wouldn't have to work today for all shops were closed in this kind of weather.

He leaned back on the couch and thought of Bo. His Bo-in-trouble-senses had been going off like crazy so he had turned it off. He wondered what Bo had did to make it go off so much? A chuckle ran through him. What was he saying? This was Bo.

Julius got off his couch and stretched. Even if he couldn't go to work he could still get started on the jewelry designs for the fall-winter collection. He was about to head to get his sketchpad when he heard a noise. He paused and listened closely to make sure it wasn't the sound of the typhoon outside.

It was knocking.

Knocking on his door.

That was weird. Who would want to walk outside on a day like this?

Julius walked to the door and pulled it open. The rain and wind from outside zoomed into his house but he didn't care. The person standing on his doorstep made the jeweler very confused.

"Luke?" Julius stood to the side and waited for Luke to walk in before closing the door. "What are you doing here?"

Luke was dripping wet but he was wearing a raincoat. He turned to Julius. "Is Bo here? The phone lines are down so I couldn't call."

"What?"

"Bo didn't come back last night and I wasn't worried about that. But this morning Dad wanted to know what was taking Bo so long so before the phone lines went down, I called Renee's place but they said Bo wasn't there. And since you are friends with Bo…"

Julius tightened his fists and reactivated his Bo-senses. Immediately he was hit by danger. Bo was in danger! "He's not here," replied Julius when he remembered Luke didn't have the senses. "Did something happen last night?"

"I don't know," said Luke in frustration. He smacked one of the purple walls with a fist. Julius, who would have normally scolded him for that, didn't say anything. "I mean, he did walk Renee home."

"Walk Renee home," said Julius thoughtfully. Something probably happened then. But why were the senses still blaring? He glanced towards the window. Oh goddess. He grabbed his fabulous purple coat off the coat stand.

"What are you-"

"Bo's not from around here," explained Julius quickly. "He doesn't know that the weather in summer can quickly change from nice and calm to a typhoon so quickly."

Luke's eyes widen. "No way! You think he's outside?"

"If he's not at your place, then yes." Julius yanked open the door and stepped outside into the storm. Because he didn't listen to his senses Bo was in serious trouble. If only he hadn't turned them off. Then this would have never happened.

"I'm coming to!" yelled Luke as he ran out after Julius. "Bo is a carpenter apprentice like me. We need to stick together."

Julius didn't say anything but he nodded. It would be better if the two searched together but he hoped he would be able to find Bo before Luke did. At least then Bo's secret would be safe.

Bo

Bo couldn't believe her luck as she gazed out at the storm. She was in the forest, huddling inside a hollow at the base of a tree. After she had run away from Renee she didn't want to return to face Luke so she had run into the forest and fallen asleep in this hollow. When she had woken up the typhoon was already going at full blast. It was a wonder that she could even sleep through it in the first place.

She didn't know what to do. The storm was wild out there. The trees were bending over as the rain slammed into them. What could she do? She looked down at the light airy outfit she wore. She would be soaked if she went out there. Plus she didn't know if her shirt was see-through if wet. What if Luke or Dale saw her? They would wonder what was going on. They would wonder why. And then her dream would be over!

She rested her head on her knees. The typhoon screeched in anger. The tree made a cracking noise. Afraid for her life, Bo ran out of the tree and into the storm. The rain pelted her and she could hardly see where she was going. She wanted to return to the tree and take the risk of it falling on her than survive out here!

However that never happened for Bo was not sure of which direction she had come from. She took a step forward but her foot only met air and she tumbled down a small hill and right into the swelled river.

Bo struggled to keep her head above the waterline but it was difficult. The water pushed her along and Bo suddenly had a fear for her life. Could it be possible that she might die out here?

The young carpenter struggled with all her might against the water but it seemed immune to Bo's wishes as it pushed her along.

Julius

"Bo!" yelled Julius. His voice was swallowed up by the typhoon faster than it came out of his mouth. He knew Luke was looking nearby. They thought it would be better to look together in case one of them got lost.

He tapped into his Bo senses and used that as a guide to help him but the storm was messing with it a little. For some reason it was pointing him in the direction of the rising river. More confused than ever, he made his way over. He made sure he was well above the rushing fast water.

Julius wasn't sure but he thought he saw something stick out of the water and then fall back in. He narrowed his eyes while wishing the storm wasn't so violent. It would make it much easier to see, that's for sure. The Bo-senses were screaming in overload as Julius realized what the thing in the water was.

"Bo!" yelled Julius before running towards the river.


	14. After Effects of the Storm

**Julius: Oh my! Major cliffhanger in the last chapter! Alright. This shall be short so you may see what happens next.**

_"Now Bo. It's time."_

_ The eight year old girl sniffed and clutched the box in her hand tightly. Tears stained her cheeks. The tall green tree before her rustled in the light breeze. It was good weather. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. But it was not a good day. Not a good day at all. Bo looked up at the older girl standing next to her. "But Beatrice…"_

_ The older girl, an almost mirror image of the young Bo except for her startling blue eyes shook her head. "No Bo. He's gone." She placed her hand over Bo's on the small box. "He'll have a fun time with all the other fish. Don't worry."_

_ "But he's in the ground," cried young Bo. She held the box close to her chest and stepped away from the older girl. "Beatrice. I don't wanna…" Little Bo trailed off. "Beatrice?"_

_ The older girl smiled at Bo and turned around. A suitcase was in her left hand, a backpack on her back. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a long ponytail with not a single hair out of place. "I'm sorry but I have to go."_

_ Bo clutched the doll that had replaced the box. "No!" she cried._ _"I don't want you to go!"_

_ Beatrice paused in her steps. She walked back to the younger girl and kneeled before her. She rubbed Bo on the head. "Don't worry. I'll send you a letter whenever I can."_

_ "Promise?" asked Bo. She lifted up her pinky._

_ "Promise." Beatrice locked pinkies with Bo for a moment before getting up. "See you later Bo. We'll meet again!"_

"Beatrice…"Bo opened her eyes. She blinked them slowly. Where was she? She turned her head to the right and had a feeling of déjà vu. "Julius."

The young man smiled. "Finally. You're awake." He got up and walked over to Bo and helped her sit up. "You're in my house in case you're wondering."

"I am?" Bo clutched her head in a hand. She had a pounding headache. How did she get here?

Wait.

The typhoon.

"Oh goddess!" she cried. She looked up at Julius and noticed that the makeup he usually wore was not there. It was like it was washed off. "Julius. I think I fell in the river but what happened?"

"Julius fished you out."

Bo yelped in shock. Luke was standing in the doorway. For once his child-like grin was gone. He was serious. It was so odd that Bo thought that he had to be joking. He had to be kidding. There had to be a punch line or something. Then his words caught up to her. "Huh?" She turned to Julius.

Julius took a cup of herbal tea from Luke and handed it to Bo to drink before beginning to speak. "I saw you in the river and I jumped in and got you out of there."

"It was awesome," said Luke, a trace of his old grin back. "I never saw Julius swim like that before. It was so weird. I had gone down to the bank to help but he already had you out of the water. You were breathing; thank the goddess, but you were unconscious so Julius carried you back here." He laughed. "He even stayed next to you when we got back here."

Bo turned to Julius. She felt horrible. He did all of it so Luke wouldn't find out her secret. She tightened her fists. She needed to be careful. She could have gotten Julius killed.

"When you feel well enough to walk," began Luke. "I want to take you somewhere." Without another word he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"He hates me," whispered Bo. She buried her head in her hands. It was only then that she saw the outfit she was in was bright purple with frills. One of Julius's outfits most likely.

"He doesn't hate you," said Julius. "He was very worried about you. He thought you died out there." The jeweler had retrieved a sketchpad and had begun to draw something. "He'll get over it soon. Don't worry."

Bo tightened her fists. "Julius. I'm sorry."

Julius put down the sketchpad and locked eyes with Bo. "Don't worry about it. I made a promise to keep you safe."

Huh?

"Anyway," said Julius quickly. He leaned forward like a little kid about to learn a secret. "Mind telling me what happened anyway? Start at the beginning of the date and go on please."

Bo knew she owed Julius the details. Whatever he meant by promise before would have to wait.

She started at the beginning of the date and went on from there. From the meal itself to the walk home. She was embarrassed to tell Julius about the event on the bridge but she had to tell him. He did save her life after all. After she was done talking about how she had run away and hidden herself in a tree she leaned back in the bed. Hang on. Was this Julius's bed?

Julius chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Oh Bo. What am I going to do with you? Of course Renee would act like that. She thinks you're the perfect guy."

"But I'm not!" Bo grabbed the blanket and put it over her head like that would block out all the stuff that was going on around her.

Bo could hear Julius get up and sit down on the bed. "But she doesn't know that you aren't a boy," he said softly, "Think of it from her point of view alright?"

Bo poked her head out from under the blanket. "I get what you're saying but…" She threw the blanket down in frustration. "I don't know what to do Julius. I…"

Julius rubbed Bo on the head. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. It was just like when her older sister did it. She closed her eyes and imagined her sister was in the room. She would know what to do in this situation.

"Fine now?" asked Julius as he took away his hand.

Bo nodded. "Thanks."

"Good," Julius got up and retrieved his sketchpad. "Now you get some rest. From what Luke was talking to me about earlier what you are about to hear…well, let's just say you need all your strength for that."

Bo blinked in confusion but she didn't get to ask Julius anything for the jeweler was already out the door. Bo wondered what Luke wanted to talk to her about anyway. But based on Julius's thoughts of it she knew she had to rest. _"I wonder what it's going to be about?"_ she thought as she lay down on the pillow and fell asleep.


	15. A Memory From The Distant Past

**Julius: Here is the next chapter!**

**Bo: This is the end of the depressing chapters. Next one will be much happier and back to its normal humor!**

**Julius: But this chapter will be a good explanation for-**

**Bo: Don't spoil it Julius! **

In a couple of hours Bo felt well enough to get up and Julius was happy enough to let her go. Luke was waiting for her outside, his hands in his pockets. He looked really nervous.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Bo. She cracked a smile to show Luke that she was alright.

"Let's talk and walk," replied Luke.

He didn't even wait for an answer. He just walked towards the bridge. Curious to what he wanted to talk about, she hurried after him until she was walking right next to him.

"I want you to listen to me," he replied. "And not ask any questions until I'm done."

Bo nodded. She wondered what Luke wanted to talk to her about. Did he know about her being a girl?

"This story begins a couple years ago, when I was six…"

Linelineline

_"Mommy!" Luke ran into the kitchen, tears streaming down his face. _

_ The young woman looked down from her cooking, her light blue hair tied back in a ponytail. Her golden eyes watched her son with concern. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly, "Did something happen to your father?"_

_ Luke shook his head and held up his finger. "I got a booboo."_

_ The woman sighed in relief and kneeled down before her son. "Oh? Let me see." She examined the tiny paper cut and kissed it to make it better. "Better?"_

_ "Much better," replied Luke. He was now smiling happily._

_ Luke's mother smiled and wiped away Luke's tears. "Returning to play with Owen and Phoebe?"_

_ Luke nodded. "Bye!"_

_ The young woman waved goodbye to her son and returned to her attention to the stove. After the pot of stew was done she put it on the counter and grabbed her rucksack just as her husband came into the room. _

_ "You leaving?" asked Dale._

_ She walked over and hugged him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."_

_ "If anyone can find the rare goddess lumber it would be you," chuckled Dale._

_ She left the room and headed outside. She spotted Owen, Phoebe and Luke playing a game. She watched in amusement as Phoebe jumped on Luke's back and made him run around with Owen chasing after them._

_ "Faster horsie! Faster!" yelled Phoebe. "The evil Owen is going to get us!"_

_ She turned away from the children and headed down the path into the forest. She would go to the deepest part. Her goal would be to find the goddess lumber. She would get it and she and Dale would create the perfect furniture with it._

_ Luke on the other hand played until the sun went down and the three kids were called back home. Luke ran into his house and after a quick wash of hands he plopped down at the table._

_ "Where's Mommy?" he asked as Dale ladled dinner into a bowl._

_ "She's out getting the gold lumber remember?" replied Dale, sitting across from his son. "Me and Mommy are going to make the best furniture ever."_

_ "Oh yeah!" exclaimed Luke. "And I get some too right? I wanna make something too!" _

_ "A small piece," promised Dale._

_ Dinner proceeded on as normal. Luke talked about his day and Dale listened to every word. After that Dale read Luke a bedtime story the six year old was put in bed and Dale went down to the shop to work on orders._

_ Late in the night, when the moon would have almost been to its highest point Dale finally took a break. He had fallen into the zone and worked without rest and was not aware of his surroundings. As the sounds around him returned he could hear rain hitting the windows outside as well the sound of crackling thunder._

_ A lump rose in his throat and he raced out of the room to the main living area. The daily newspaper sat on the table unread. Dale grabbed it and turned to the weather page. _

_ Typhoon going to be in full effect that night._

_ "Daddy?"_

_ Dale glanced over at the doorway. Luke was rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Daddy what's wrong?"_

_ "Stay here," ordered Dale before grabbing his coat and running out the door. Once outside the rain smashed into him with full force but he pushed on. First he took a visit to the general store and blacksmith to get the help of Simon and Ramsey._

_ The three men went into the forest together while Barbara brought Luke over to her home. The little boy was asking many questions but no one would give him an answer._

_ The trees swayed angrily in the wind but Dale did not let that or the buffering rain stop him. He could hear Simon and Ramsey call for her near him but he just pushed forward. He needed to find her. He had to find her. For his sake. For Luke's sake._

_ The further Dale got in the more his hopes decreased. Where was she? Where was she? That was the only thought that went through his head. He had to find her. He had to. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something lying on the ground. He turned his head in the direction and felt his world crash to the ground._

_ Luke on the other hand was sitting at the table in Barbara's house. Phoebe was awake and she was trying to get Luke to play with her. Barbara was sitting by the window so she would be ready to open the door._

_ "What's going on? Where's Daddy?" Luke jumped off the chair and almost knocked Phoebe over. He ran over to Barbara and clutched the bottom of the woman's dress. _

_ Barbara patted Luke on the head. "Don't worry. Your dad will come back with your mother. You'll see." She looked out the window again and her eyes widen. She got up and knocked Luke backwards as she opened the door._

_ "Daddy!" exclaimed Luke as Dale walked in. Luke stopped in his tracks. He didn't know why he stopped but it might have been the way his father's shoulders were slumped. Dale looked down at his son sadly._

_ "What happened?" asked Barbara. "Where is?"_

_ "We found her…" Dale trailed off and then spoke, "under a tree…crushed."_

_ "Oh goddess!" Barbara's hands went to cover her mouth and her eyes were wide._

_ Luke looked back and forth between the two adults. He didn't really get what was going on. Why were they both upset? "Daddy?" he asked. "Where's Mommy?"_

_ Dale looked down at his son and crouched before the young boy. "She's gone Luke. She's gone."_

Linelineline

Bo swallowed slowly.

Tears pressed against the back of her eyelids.

"She was crushed under a tree on her search for the goddess lumber," continued Luke as the carpenter apprentices walked into the cemetery. Luke stopped before a grave. "Dad was horrified. He was a different person after mom passed away. It's because of that that he put up the rule that he wouldn't train female apprentices. He thought if he trained a girl then he would be reminded of mom. Mom was a really good carpenter and he…hey. Are you crying?"

Bo blinked and wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just…" She couldn't say it. She had thought Dale was just a sexist person who thought men were superior but she was wrong. There was a reason. There was a reason he was the way he is.

"You know," said Luke. "You are the first person I've ever told this story to. Most of the islanders know but…I don't know." He smiled at Bo. "I knew I should tell it to you."

"I won't go out in a storm again," promised Bo. "I'll think."

"Good."

Luke began to walk away and Bo was about to follow when she saw a small grave next to Luke's mother's. "What's this grave?" she asked.

Luke looked back. "My younger sibling," he replied. "Mom didn't know it but she was pregnant when she died." He turned and continued to walk away.

Bo on the other hand stared in shock at the little grave. And for Luke as well as herself, she cried.


	16. The Summer Festival

**Bo: Thank you everyone for polling in. The winner is Luke with five votes. Surprisingly Julius got two votes.**

**Julius: Those two understand my awesomeness.**

**Bo:-_-. Anyway. Enjoy the chapter. I know all of you will since you like to watch me suffer-grumbles-**

The sun was shining brightly in the early morning sky. Bo had woken up early and she was currently outside tending to Peck. The ostrich was in a small pen in the back of the house. A small barn-like area was connected to it so Peck could have shelter in bad weather. "I can't believe I was so stupid," she said to herself as she poured the ostrich feed into Peck's food bowl. It had been a week since the incident. Luke said nothing about it but Dale had pushed her to work extra hard. She couldn't really complain.

"I feel so bad now," she whispered as she began to fill Peck's water dish. "But… I can't give up on my dream like that."

"Bo!"

Bo yelped and turned around. Luke was standing by the pen, his elbow resting on the fence, his head on that hand. "What is it?" she asked. Behind her Peck was beginning to gobble down his feed.

"What are you doing? Don't you know what today is?"

"No," replied Bo. She finished filling Peck's water bowl and returned the hose to its rightful spot. She began walking to the shed to get the cart when Luke stepped in front of her. "Luke…" she began.

Luke shook his head and placed a hand on Bo's shoulder. "Bo. Today is the summer festival."

Bo blinked. She had forgotten all about it! From the stories told to her by the islanders, the summer festival was a joyous occasion. There were contests, shopping, fireworks and who knew what else.

"You forgot didn't you?" Luke chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?" He sighed and shook his head. "What to do with you Bo?"

"Stop it," Bo lightly punched Luke. Yay for acting like a guy. "Anyway. Let me go get changed into better clothes."

"Good," said Luke. "Cause you smell like ostriches." Peck squawked angrily. "Hey!" said Luke, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. "I didn't say ostriches smelled bad."

Peck glared at Luke for a couple of seconds before returning to his food bowl. Luke sighed. "There's no appealing you is there?"

After Bo was changed the two carpenter apprentices took the mine cart down to Harmonica Town. Luke's steps were quick and full of excitement and Bo had to walk quickly to keep up with him. The closer they got to town, the louder the voices were becoming.

As they made the bend into the beach area, Bo was hit by a wave of sounds and smells. The smell of cooked food danced in the air and added to the loud chattering of the villagers that were here.

"Selena!"

"Huh?" Bo's mouth dropped open as Luke abandoned her to talk to Selena who was near the sign up booth for the fishing contest. She was about to call out but she shut her mouth. She was nothing more than a fellow apprentice to Luke.

"Uh, Bo."

Bo turned to the voice and stiffened. It was Renee. She was looking at the ground, her hands behind her back. She was shifting her weight back and forth. "Ummm," she said.

Great. Bo had been avoiding her. She felt bad for doing it but she couldn't deal with Renee. What could she say? "I'm sorry for freaking out and running away?" That wouldn't go over too well.

"I'm sorry!" Renee bowed low.

"Wha?" Bo looked around fearfully. She saw Chloe looking at them confused. The little girl whispered something to Owen who was next to her. Great. "Don't worry about it!" said Bo quickly. "Now please lift your head?"

"But it's my fault," said Renee, her voice dripping in sorrow. "I heard about your incident. How you were trapped out in the typhoon and you almost died. I'm so sorry."

Bo was really not liking this. She reached forward and placed her hands on either side of Renee's head and lifted Renee up to a normal standing position. The young woman's eyes were moist with tears. Bo swallowed slowly. "It's not you," she replied. "It's me." Bo released Renee and stepped back. "I'm sorry I was so much trouble. It's just that you surprised me. I…I really want to focus on my carpenter training for the moment. Not about girls."

"I understand," said Renee. A smile cracked on her face. "Don't worry about me. I'll wait for you."

Bo's mouth dropped but Renee was already running into the crowd of people gathered to watch the fishing contest. What the heck just happened? She thought she solved the problem but it looked like she only made it worse.

"Hey Bo!" Luke almost knocked her over as he tackled her. "What are you doing over here by yourself? The fishing contest is going on at the moment! It's quite exciting! Come on! Come on! Dad would be upset if I didn't show you a good time."

Bo didn't have time to think about the Renee dilemma for the rest of the day. Luke dragged her from the fishing contest to the booths, to the food to everything he could get her to do. She had never had as much fun as she did then. She was even able to buy some high quality fish to cook for dinner tomorrow. That would make Dale happy.

By the time the fireworks rolled around Bo was exhausted. She had collapsed on the sand. She didn't mind getting sand in her hair as she laid on her back to watch the pretty shapes dance up in the sky. This was a good way to end the day. It was so peaceful. She was sitting by herself because Luke had wanted to sit with Selena and Bo had no idea where Julius was. Renee was keeping to her promise and she didn't come over to sit with Bo.

It wasn't like Bo minded. Sitting under the fireworks like this was so peaceful. It was so nice she could fall asleep here. Bo closed her eyes to rest her eyes for a few seconds.

"Bo? Why are you still here?"

Bo opened her eyes. The sky was dark. The fireworks were over. She got up slowly and noticed that the beach was empty except for Toby who was looking down at her in confusion. At least she thought it was confusion since his eyes didn't really give much away.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked out loud.

"You probably did," replied Toby. "Come on. It's time to go." He grabbed Bo's arm and half-dragged her out of the beach area and into town.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Bo as her feet finally caught up to Toby's dragging and she was able to walk on her own two feet.

"To the party," replied Toby. "I can't believe Luke would forget to tell you." Toby led her to the entrance to Watery Cave and without any hesitation he entered. Bo followed close behind but when they were inside she got really nervous. It probably had to do with the water dripping off the cave walls. It gave the place a lonely feel.

"Why is there a party in a cave?" asked Bo as Toby led her down the set of stairs to the next floor.

"It's a tradition," replied Toby. "Every year on the summer festival it is done. The young guys on the island get together and we have a party."

"Oh," said Bo happily. She didn't know that. Wait. It was a guys only party? She hoped Julius would be there.

It was really weird but the further they went down floors the hotter it seemed to become. "What's going on?" she asked Toby.

"Didn't Luke tell you anything?" said Toby, clearly annoyed as they finished the descent on another set of stairs. Instead of going down to another floor, Toby led the way over to an area where a huge rock was. As they went around the rock Toby said, "It's a hot spring party."


	17. Hot Spring

**Bo: How embarrassing! This chapter is…AHHHH!**

**Julius: I don't see what's wrong with it. –poses-**

**Bo: -covers eyes-NOOOOOO!**

Bo's mind was not processing correctly. She wasn't sure what she was seeing but it felt really surreal. The same thing over and over was running through her head. ABORT! ABORT!

It was definitely a hot spring party. The actual spring itself was surrounded by lots of food and drinks and the guys that were sitting in the hot spring would reach out to grab something before going back into the warm water.

"Hey Bo!" Luke waved from the spring. He was bouncing up and down in the water and unfortunately Bo could tell Luke was not wearing a towel like some of the other guys.

"Are you hot?" asked Toby. "You're turning red."

Bo turned to Toby to answer. She was happy she could avert her eyes from that sight. "Well…" She trailed off. Toby was stripping. He was stripping in front of her. Great. Now what! Now what!

Toby looked up at Bo. "Aren't you going to strip? Going into the water in your clothes probably won't be a good idea." He returned to take off his pants.

Bo on the other hand was freaking out. What to do? What to do? She couldn't go in the water! She wanted out! She wanted out now!

"Come on Bo," called Owen. He was submerged in the water, thank the goddess for that. But he was telling her to come into the water. Something she would not do. No way!

Bo shook her head. "No. Uh, I'm fine out here."

"Oh come on," said Calvin. "We won't bite."

Gill, who was sitting next to him didn't say anything but he was watching her.

"Uh, no," Bo backed up a step. "I really should get back to the carpenter shop. I have an order that I really need to get done."

Toby reached out and grabbed Bo's arm. "Come on. Let's get into the water."

This was the weirdest thing ever. Toby seemed like such a mellow guy and here he was trying to get her into the water. "No thanks!" Bo yanked her arm back.

"Hang on one moment!" Everyone fell silent and turned to the back of the hot spring. Julius was holding two cucumbers which were probably on his eyes a moment before. Julius got up and in a few strides he was next to Bo. He turned around and put his hands on his hips. "Luke. How could you be so thoughtless?"

Luke looked confused for a moment and then it dawned on him. He hit himself in the head with the palm of his hand. "Oh goddess! I can't believe I forgot." An apologetic look crossed his face. "Sorry Bo, I forgot."

"That's okay," said Bo quickly.

Julius placed his arm around Bo's shoulders. "I'll take him home," he said. He looked down at Bo and winked.

"Thanks Julius," whispered Bo.

"No problem," replied Julius.

"Uh Julius?"

"Yes?"

"Can you _please_ put something on?"

Linelineline

A couple days later, Bo was in the kitchen cooking up some dinner. It seemed like she was doing this everyday now. Well it was probably because her cooking skills were much better than Dale's or Luke's. "Honestly," she said as she peered into the oven to make sure the chicken was cooking right. "It's like I do more cooking now than actual carpenter stuff."

After she was done cooking she finished her meal early and left the food on the table so when Luke and Dale came back from deliveries they could eat, she walked into the workshop area to work on her side project.

Bo had asked Dale earlier if she could work on something for herself and he said it was alright as long as she got the orders that were assigned to her done first. She sat down and began to work. She only got to work for a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. Knowing it couldn't be Luke or Dale, who would just have walked in; she got up, dusted herself off and ran to the door.

"Julius?" she asked in surprise when she opened the door.

Julius held a towel in hand which he handed to Bo. "You aren't busy right? Then come on."

"Uh. What's this about?" asked Bo.

Julius winked. "It's a surprise."

Knowing Julius, it probably would be a good thing. "Hang on," she said. "Let me clean up first."

After Bo put all the tools and her little project away and writing a little note to Dale that she was with Julius, she hurried outside and followed Julius. "Where are we going?" she asked as they crossed the bridge.

Julius just smiled. "You'll see."

When they reached Hikari's and Kasey's farm instead of following the path, Julius cut through their property. Now Bo was really confused as she followed Julius. "Julius. Why are we here?"

"Because of this," Julius entered a small opening through some bushes. When Bo followed, she just gasped. Hikari and Kasey had a hot spring!

"Woah," she said.

Julius nodded. "Have some fun. You didn't get to go into the hot spring before."

"What about Hikari and Kasey?" asked Bo. "Wouldn't they-"

"Already asked," replied Julius. "And they aren't here. Supposedly they're on vacation to Toucan Island because the Harvest Sprites told them they needed it so their marriage would work out." He shrugged. "They said the Harvest God and Goddess also said it would be a good idea."

"Oh," said Bo. What could she say to that?

"Anyway," said Julius. He gestured to the hot spring with a deep bow. "Milady, your bath awaits. Have fun okay?" He waved before walking away.

Bo was excited. What luck! She would get a hot spring bath after all! "Thank you Julius," she told the purple-haired man.

Julius just lifted his hand and waved to show he heard.

Bo turned back to the hot spring. Well, it was time to go in.


	18. What Can I Do?

**Bo: AHHH! –spazzes out- I seriously don't like this chapter!**

**Julius: I don't appear in it…**

**Bo: There's a reason for that!**

Bo leaned back, the warm water of the hot spring soaking through her joints. This was awesome. It was her first hot spring bath ever. Plus she didn't have to pretend to be a boy here at all. "Wow," she commented, looking up into the night sky. It was a bright and clear night, a perfect night for a hot spring bath.

Bo submerged herself into the water for a few moments before rising again. Hikari and Kasey were so lucky to have this outside their home. They could come here everyday and take a bath in it. Bo wondered how cool it would be to be in the hot spring in winter type. She had seen it on TV before. People did do that.

She sighed and closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the hot spring even more. What was she doing? This wasn't a time for thinking. This was a time to enjoy the warm waters of the spring.

After what seemed like forever Bo realized it probably was time to get out of the spring and return to her place as a carpenter apprentice. "Well, it was fun being a girl while it lasted," she said happily as she got up. Water dripped off her as she carefully made her way out of the spring and towards her clothes that she had left near the spring. A sarashi was on top, aka her chest binding.

She reached down and picked it up before getting ready to unwind the towel around her so she could bind her chest. It was then when she heard it. Something hitting the ground.

Bo's head snapped towards it faster than humanly possible. The light from the full moon aided Bo and her eyes widen in shock. "T..Toby," she whispered, her fingers clutching tightly around the towel that surrounded her.

Toby, for the first time Bo had ever seen him did not look calm at all. His body language told Bo that he was shocked by what he was seeing. "Bo," he said slowly. "You're a…"

"N…No," said Bo quickly. She realized how futile it sounded as it escaped her mouth. It was obvious to Toby that she was a girl. Bo backed up a step. What could she do? What was going to happen? Toby knew. He _knew_.

"You're a girl," said Toby carefully. "You're a carpenter apprentice and a girl."

"I know this may look bad," began Bo. She knew she had to take charge of this situation somehow. She had to get Toby on her side. She couldn't have him telling Dale about this. "But there is a perfectly good reason why I'm pretending to be a boy. It's because I want to follow my dream of being a carpenter's apprentice and…" Bo trailed off when she realized that Toby was not listening to her at all. Instead he was looking at her funny.

Wait.

Oh Goddess, she was in a towel. Only in a towel. Sure it would have been okay if she was a boy but she wasn't. She was a girl. She suddenly had the urge to scream 'pervert'. Of course that probably wouldn't be a good idea for that might cause more people to find out her secret.

"Look Toby," she said carefully. "I know-"

"Hang on one moment," spoke Toby. Now he looked thoughtful. "You're a girl. That means…" A small grin appeared on his face. "Maybe I can use this to my advantage."

"What are you talking about?" cried Bo. Many thoughts ran through her head. Many different kinds of thoughts.

"Alright then," said Toby. "I'll keep your secret, but you have to do something for me."

Huh? Was he…blackmailing her! "What kind of something?" asked Bo carefully.

"Renee," Toby said simply. "I want you to make Renee like me instead of you."

That was not something Bo was expecting. "Wait, you want me to hook you up with Renee?"

Toby nodded. "I was working on that until you showed up and then Renee started liking you. Of course she probably doesn't know about you being a girl."

"But…" cried Bo.

"No buts," said Toby. His eyes opened slightly and Bo could see that Toby's eyes were kinda strange and green. "You will get Renee to like me. You will do it or…well you should know without me telling you." He picked up the fishing supplies that he had dropped when he had first seen Bo. "Oh and before I forget, you cannot tell Julius or anyone else about this either. You wouldn't want to quit being a carpenter now right? And I cannot guarantee the safety of those you tell. They might have an…accident." With that, Toby walked away and left a very shocked Bo behind.

Bo's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. This couldn't be happening. Her secret had been found out. Toby knew she was a girl. Worse, he was blackmailing her for it. Her fists tightened in the dirt. There wasn't much choice left was there? Either she has to make Renee like Toby or she has to say goodbye to her carpenter dreams.

Would could she do?

Was there anything she could do?

Well, there was one thing. She couldn't let Julius get hurt because of her. She would have to figure this one out on her own.


	19. A Letter for Bo

**Bo: Well, after an extremely long wait, here is chapter 19! The writer has been really busy so she hasn't had time to update until now-**

**Julius: When am I going to get a part again! I'm never around anymore!**

**Bo:...We'll see Julius, we'll see…**

"Bo? Are you okay?"

Bo looked up from her work on the table. She had thought one of the legs looked a bit thicker than the others and was currently sanding it down to the right width. Dale was working on a chair to go with the table and he was watching her with concern. Bo stopped sanding and thought of the question. No. She wasn't okay. Toby was blackmailing her. He wanted to have Renee and Bo was stuck trying to get them together. And to make it even worse, she couldn't tell Julius about this at all.

"Everything is fine," she said quickly and forced a smile to cross her face. This was definitely a problem she couldn't tell him about. She didn't want to disappoint him by revealing she was a girl. Now, it just seemed like her dream was selfish. There were other carpenters out there who probably would be okay with training a girl, but Dale was her idol. She shook her head and got back to work on sanding the table.

After about an hour of working on the table, Luke came into the shop from a morning spent getting wood from the forest. "Hey. Working hard?" he put his axe away and walked over to Bo. "Julius is waiting outside. He wants to talk to you." Luke grinned. "Love advice right? Julius is good at that."

Bo decided that ignoring that comment would be in her best interest. Plus it was the stupid love that got her into this mess with Toby to begin with.

Dale gave her permission to take a break and she hurried over to the accessory shop to see what Julius wanted. Mira greeted Bo from behind her counter and Bo replied back before hurrying over to Julius who seemed to be designing jewelry for the fall-winter collection.

"So how's it coming along?" asked Julius quietly as he worked on the design.

"Fine," replied Bo quickly. "Nothing big happened."

Julius stopped in mid-work and looked up at her. "Something happen?"

Bo shook her head. "No no. Nothing happened." Oh goddess. It was a bad idea to talk to Julius. He could see right through her. But he couldn't know about this. She had to figure this one out on her own. She couldn't put Julius in danger from her own stupidity.

"Are you sure?" asked Julius. "It's just that I get the vibe from you that something is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong," said Bo. She had to get out of here before Julius made her spill it all out to him. "I should probably get back to work. The table I'm working on needs to be finished by tomorrow."

Julius blinked a few moments before speaking. "Alright."

Bo nodded and quickly left the accessory shop. She sighed in relief that she didn't spill the beans before heading back to the carpenter shop.

"Hey Bo!" Luke almost collided with her as she walked in. An envelope was in his hand. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Tell you what?" asked Bo in confusion.

"This!" Luke held out the letter to Bo. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend!"

Now Bo was even more confused. She took the envelope and one glance at the address made her smile. "Oh. This letter is from my sister."

"Huh? You have a sister?"

"An older one," replied Bo as she carefully opened the envelope. "She went off to travel the world and we write letters to each other. Old fashioned I know."

"That's cool," said Luke. He grinned. "It must be nice to have an older sibling."

Bo gripped the letter tightly. Luke would have been an older brother if his mother had not passed away in that storm. "I'm going to read it in our room," she said quickly before hurrying into the bedroom. She collapsed on her bed and opened the letter. It's a good thing Bo had told her to write her name as Bo on the address now, otherwise that would have been trouble.

"Dear Bo,

How's it going over there? I heard you started your carpenter training already. Wow. It's been years since we last seen each other. You probably look much different now. Now even more so since you are dressed up as a boy after all. Things are great on my end. I'm currently wandering around Forget-Me-Not Valley. It's a nice place here and you aren't going to believe this but there's a thief around here. A little town like this with a problem like that? Very weird if you ask me. Anyway, I hope we see each other soon.

From your sister, Beatrice."

Bo opened one of her drawers and opened the trick bottom and put the letter in with the others. Her sister always had the fun. She had to send a reply letter soon and maybe ask why her sister's letters seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. But that had to be taken care of later. Right now she had to return to her job as a carpenter apprentice. But…how was she going to deal with the Toby situation? She would hate if someone was manipulating her feelings and she didn't want Renee to feel the same way. But she had to try. No matter what, she had to try something. She had everything to lose if this failed.

"Right," Bo patted the drawer where she kept her sister's letters. They would give her strength. She had a lot to do now.


	20. A Meeting With Renee

**Bo: Oh no. Another crazy chapter where I get into a crazy situation. Why me!**

Bo took in a deep breath. Her legs were shaking and she all she wanted to do was run away. She couldn't though. She had to do this. If she didn't then her secret-no her secret wasn't important, Julius would be in danger. She didn't know what Toby would do but he would probably do something.

She lifted her hand and knocked the door as loud and as fast as she could manage. Her legs wanted to run away but she had to fight it. She had to do this! She kept repeating it over to herself. She had to do this!

The door opened and Renee looked up at Bo in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Bo swallowed, "Umm Renee. You want to go get a coffee or something at the Brass Bar?" Yes! She said it!

Renee's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh! I mean yes." She ran inside and was back out in a second with a small purse.

Bo forced a smile to cross her face. "Great," she said, "Let's go." As they were walking to the Brass Bar Bo was thinking of all the things she had to say. This was all part of her make Renee fall in love of Toby plan. She would do it! She would make Renee see that Toby was a way better guy that Bo could ever be. Well, he actually already won since Bo wasn't even a guy to begin with.

"So," said Bo as they crossed the bridge to enter Hikari and Kasey's farm land. "What do you think of Toby?"

"Toby?" asked Renee in surprise. She thought for a moment. "He's okay I guess. But he's not as awesome as you!"

Her happy grin was blinding to Bo. How can this girl be that much in love with him from only one incident? She didn't understand at all! Well, if she thought about it, it did make a bit of sense. To Renee, Bo was probably her knight in shining armor or something like that.

Great.

That would make this so much harder.

"Well," began Bo, "Toby is a really nice guy! And he likes fishing like you do. You two would be really good together you know?"

"I guess," said Renee softly. She paused in mid-step and Bo looked back at her in surprise. "Ummm Bo. Do you like me at all?"

"Huh?" Where did that come from? "No. I do like you," said Bo quickly.

Wait.

Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. Renee's face was lit up in joy. Oh boy. Definitely not the best idea she had. It was too bad that Bo wasn't a jerk. Then this would be a lot easier. She could be cool and push Renee away. But it wasn't in Bo's nature to do that. She would feel horrible.

"But why are you talking about Toby?" asked Renee. She ran ahead and stopped in the middle of the road, her hands crossed behind her back. "Come on. You can tell me."

Ack! Such a blinding smile! Bo didn't know if she could handle this. If only she could asks Julius for advice for this kind of stuff. But that was out of the question. "Toby….well he…" Bo trailed off as she raked her brain on what to say. How to say this? She was not good at this at all!

"He what?" prompted Renee. She leaned forward in anticipation.

"He…may have feelings for you?" Bo flinched. Very direct. Was that the best way to go? "I mean, he does have feelings for you."

Renee blinked in surprise. "Oh." She pulled back.

An awkward silence fell between them. Bo silently cursed the goddess for her bad luck. How could she be so direct? Bad idea much?

"Is that why you called me out here?" Renee asked quietly. "To tell me about Toby?"

"Ummm…"

Renee shook her head; her brown eyes were beginning to look moist. "Bo. Tell me. Do you have any feelings for me whatsoever?"

Bo swallowed slowly. What could she say? There was nothing she could say to make this situation better. "Renee. I don't know how to say this but I will never have feelings for you."

"Why?" asked Renee. Her hands were clutched tightly together. Tears were spilling down her cheeks. "Tell me why Bo. Why can't I be the one for you?"

"I…" A thought of Luke crossed Bo's mind. She wondered where that came from? "Because I…" She swallowed. She had to lie. "I like someone else."

Renee's eyes widen and she looked down at the ground. Bo hated doing this. She heard from her friends what this felt like. The feeling that your insides were breaking apart as your world crumbled.

"I'm sorry," whispered Bo.

Renee shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. Ummm, I have to go." She ran past Bo back in the direction of Flute Fields. Bo didn't try to stop her. She was the last person Renee wanted to be with. Hopefully now Renee would give up on Bo and move on to Toby.

Hopefully.

Now Bo didn't really know what to do so she headed to the forest. Maybe a walk in nature would help feel better about what she did. However as she passed under the tall trees she still felt like a jerk. "If only I could tell Julius or anyone about this!" she whispered.

It was only then did she notice she was no longer on the forest path. She was at the edge of a swamp. A small cottage was before her.

That was odd. Who would live out here? She was about to take a step towards it when someone cried out, "Hey! Look out!"

Bo didn't even have time to turn as something smacked the back of her head. Her consciousness was fading but she could still see the swamp water rushing up to meet her.


	21. The Witch

**Julius: Hey Bo guess what!**

**Bo: What?**

**Julius: We reached over one hundred reviews! –throws confetti- We did it!**

**Bo: But it's only twenty chapters-well twenty one counting this one! How can there be so many! Do people like watching me suffer this much! –shakes fist- I hate all of you!**

**Julius: Oh come on! These reviewers probably all reviewed because of how fabulous I am!**

**Bo: Sure Julius sure...-grumble-enjoy this torture-Bo chapter. –grumbles and storms away-**

Bo opened her eyes. The back of her head was throbbing fiercely. What happened? Oh yeah. She was taking a walk in the forest after breaking up with Renee and saw a weird house. Then something had hit the back of her head. She jumped up but immediately regretted doing it as it just made her head throb more painfully.

"Oh. You're awake!" A young woman with strange silver hair and a very weird black outfit walked over to her. Was she a cosplayer or something? Bo stared at her strange orange eyes. Who was she? "Hello?" the woman knocked Bo's head. "Anyone in there?" She gulped. "Oh man. Don't tell me when I hit you, you got amnesia? Ack…" She began pacing the small room which Bo guessed was the inside of the cottage. "What should I do? Should I ask the Wizard for a memory spell? Or should I try creating a potion myself."

"Oh, I'm fine," said Bo quickly. Potion? Spell? Great. Did Bo enter a crazy person's house? Or maybe this was one of Hikari and Kasey's friends? She looked to be the type.

The woman turned to Bo. "Oh, good then." She sighed in relief. "I wouldn't want to go ask the Harvest Goddess for help. She's cool but I won't!"

That proved it.

Definitely Hikari and Kasey's friend.

"Uh, anyway. I'm the Witch. I live out here. And uh sorry for almost making you drown. But you should've been watching where you were going so this wouldn't happen!"

"W...Witch?" said Bo slowly. Oh crud. She had heard stories from Luke about a witch that lived in the forest. She sometimes asked for some carpenter work done and Luke usually took care of it. He had told her about the weird chanting he heard from inside and how crazy the Witch was. But she thought he was kidding! She didn't know the Witch actually existed!

"So you've heard of me?" The Witch's eyes lit up. "How is it? Am I vicious and scary?"

"Uh, no," said Bo. "Well yes, I mean…" She lifted her hand to scratch her head. It was then that she noticed the colorful sleeve. Her eyes widen and she looked down. "What the!" she screamed.

Bo was wearing a dress.

And not a simple dress either. It was an elaborate red-gold dress with long sleeves. Stitching of dragons and other mythical creatures ran up the skirt which was separated by the top by a golden sash.

"Your clothes were wet," said the Witch. She pointed to her fireplace where Bo's clothes were drying off. "I had to get them off or you would get sick." She chuckled. "I thought you were a boy at first but you weren't. Although it was weird that you were wearing that," she gestured to Bo's sarashi which was on a table. "Well I didn't want to you to be naked so I dressed you up in the only dress I had that would fit you since you were taller than me." She grinned. "Now I can tell Hikari that the dress she gave me was worn."

Bo didn't know what to say. She was still shocked by the fact that she was in a dress. A dress! Bo, the girl that was pretending to be a boy was in a dress.

"Uh, you okay?" the Witch waved her hand in front of Bo's face.

Bo blinked. "Oh, I'm fine. It's just the fact I haven't worn a dress in a long time."

"Hey Witch!" came a very loud voice from outside.

Luke.

Oh goddess. Why was Luke here?

"Looks like the carpenter is finally here," the Witch headed for the door. "Finally, that leak on the roof can get fixed."

Wait a minute.

Bo was in here. In a dress. A dress that clearly showed off the fact that she was a girl. Or a really good crossdresser but both were not good things at all. She dove off the bed and ran in front of the door before the Witch could get it open. Bo was actually impressed that she was able to do it without stepping on the hem.

"You can't let him in," hissed Bo in a low voice. She heard the sound of Luke crossing the bridge outside.

"Why not?" the Witch put her hands on her hips.

"Because Luke doesn't know I'm a girl. He thinks I'm a boy!"

"With an outfit and haircut like you have it's no wonder," said the Witch. "Now can you please move before I use magic to make you?"

Bo shook her head. "I'm a carpenter apprentice under Dale. He doesn't let girls become apprentices. So everyone thinks I am a boy!" She fell silent as she heard Luke on the other side of the door knock.

The Witch was looking at Bo thoughtfully. However Luke was knocking at the door. She sighed. "Stand on the side," she whispered. Bo complied and the Witch opened the door. Bo was hidden from view by the door but she still held her breath.

"Come back later," said the Witch bluntly. "I'm busy trying to find a way to steal the Wizard's crystal ball without him knowing."

"Oh come on," complained Luke. "I came all the way out here."

"No," said the Witch and she slammed the door closed. "Don't worry about Luke. He'll come back later. I've done it before. He learned from experience to not bother me when I'm busy."

"I don't know how to thank you," Bo sighed in relief. At least her secret was safe for now.

The Witch went to her kitchen and came back with two teacups. She gave one to Bo and settled down in her bed. "Why don't you tell me all about this? It sounds like an interesting story."

Bo hesitated but then she decided it would be okay to tell the Witch. The Witch did save her and she didn't rat Bo out to Luke. Plus she didn't know what the Witch would do if Bo didn't tell her. So Bo settled on the bed as well and told her story. She began with how she wanted to become a carpenter apprentice and ended with Toby's blackmailing.

"Sheesh," said the Witch. "I want to turn that guy into a frog."

"Me too," agreed Bo. "But I don't know what practical thing to do. Making Renee like Toby is all I can do right now."

"Hmmm," said the Witch. "I'll look through my potion books. Maybe there will be something that can help you."

Bo blinked in surprise. "You want to help me?"

The Witch smiled in return. "Of course. We girls have to stick together. Plus you following your dream, that determination reminds me of Hikari. And she's a close friend of mine so I think we could be friends too. Plus Toby makes me so mad!" She pumped her fist in the air. "I will help you out!"

"Thanks Witch!" This made it much more hopeful to Bo. Maybe she could do something about Toby after all!

"Vivi."

"Huh?"

"The name's Vivi."

"OH. Thanks Vivi."

"No problem." Vivi walked over to Bo's clothes and pulled them down. "They're dry now. You can change and get going."

Bo got up and looked down at the dress. It was elaborate but it was pretty. It was the only dress Bo had worn in such a long time.

"How about I hang onto the dress for you and when you're ready to be a girl again, I'll give it to you as a present?"

"No, I couldn't," said Bo quickly.

Vivi shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's too big on me. Plus it looks much better on you. Think of it as a present okay?"

Bo nodded. "Thanks Vivi."

Vivi just smiled and handed Bo her clothes. "Don't thank me yet. I still need to find a way to get help you out."

"But still," said Bo. "Thanks Vivi."


	22. Confusion At The Party

**Bo: So, here's chapter 22. –sigh- I shouldn't ever bother complaining anymore since you all will still read on anyway without listening to my pleas!**

**Julius: This story still needs more of me. I haven't appeared much in the last couple of chapters and that is just sad! I want more of me!**

**Bo:….**

Bo hummed as she worked away on one of the orders. After meeting Vivi she felt like this Toby situation would be resolved soon. With Vivi's magical powers anything could happen.

"Hey Bo," said Luke as he came into the room with some freshly cut lumber. "The guys are going to have a party tonight." Bo stiffened and glared at Luke. "Oh don't stare at me like that. It's not a hot spring party. It's a party at Brass Bar. All of us single guys celebrate being single!" Luke pumped his fist in the air.

"Aren't you dating Selena though?" asked Bo.

"So what?" Luke waved his left hand in front of Bo's face. "We're not married yet so it's okay! You have to come Bo. I mean, I feel bad about the hot spring one."

"I don't know," Bo grabbed the clipboard. "There's still a bunch of orders to do so…"

"Oh come on!" Luke grabbed the clipboard out of Bo's hands. "Live a little! Besides, Dad gave the okay. You've been working hard for a while now. It's good to take a break."

"Fine," Bo sighed. She grabbed the clipboard back. "But let me at least finish one order okay?"

Luke shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just make sure you're at the Bar by seven tonight."

"Fine, fine," replied Bo as she got back to work.

Linelineline

That evening Bo had pretty much forgotten about the party at least until Dale pointed it out to her. She had to rush out and even take the mine cart of doom. When she finally reached the Bar she saw the party was in full swing. The place was loud. Drinks and food were being passed out everywhere.

"Oh, there you are," said Toby. He walked over with a cocktail in hand.

Bo stiffened. "Oh. Hello Toby," she said slowly.

"So how's it going?" he asked slowly. Bo thought she could see slivers of his creepy green eyes as he opened them.

"Fine," said Bo quickly. "Renee hates me now. It's time for you to come in and sweep her off her feet."

"Funny," chuckled Toby. "Because I did just that. Renee told me how you dumped her."

"Oh?" Bo smiled. Yes! Her plan worked! Renee had gone to Toby. Maybe she didn't need Vivi's help after all.

Toby's expression darkened and now Bo could fully see his creepy green eyes. "She told me that even though you rejected her she would still try to get you to fall in love with her. She still cares for you."

Bo froze. Oh Goddess. It was never easy was it? "Toby. I didn't expect that to happen."

Toby blinked slowly. He was looking very scary at the moment and Bo took a step back. "You better fix this and soon. Otherwise…" He trailed off and a very large creepy grin crossed his face. "Someone is probably going to get kicked off the island."

Bo shivered but she stood tall. She came all the way here to Castanet to have her dream of becoming a carpenter come true. She couldn't let Toby scare her away from it. "I will get Renee to like you," she said.

"You better," Toby downed the cocktail. "Or you know what will happen." He walked away to leave Bo with her thoughts.

Well, not for very long for Julius walked over. "Hey Bo. Haven't seen you around in a while."

"Oh, well I've been busy," said Bo quickly. "Carpenters have a lot of work to do. You don't want to know how much stuff the villagers need." She nervously laughed.

Julius on the other hand didn't seem amused. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "My Bo-senses have been tingling for a while now but I can't figure out what they are reacting to. Are you in any trouble Bo?"

Bo-senses? Why did Julius have something like that? "I'm fine," said Bo quickly, Toby's warning ringing in her ears. She couldn't let Julius get hurt because of her. "I mean nothing's wrong."

"What did Toby want to talk to you about?"

"Nothing," said Bo quickly. A little too quickly. She could see it in Julius's face. He was truly concerned for her.

"Bo. Something is wrong. I know it. What did Toby want to talk to you about?"

"Nothing," said Bo. She backed up a step and she felt the wall against her back. How did that get there?

Julius sighed. "Bo. I don't know why you don't want to tell me but I think I'll go ask Toby-"

"You can't!" cried Bo. Julius looked back at her in surprise. "I mean. It's fine. Julius. I want to take care of this myself. If I need help I'll ask you." She looked down to the ground. "So please. Don't ask Toby about any of it."

"I don't know why you don't trust me about this," said Julius. "But I will follow your instructions for now."

"Thank you."

Julius just nodded and walked away. Bo noticed that he didn't have the same swagger in his step that he usually had.

"Sorry Julius," she whispered.

"BO!" Luke bounced over and almost tackled her. "You came! Come on! There's a pool table in the back. Owen wants to play too! Let's go! Let's go!"

Bo pushed the heavy thoughts out her mind and focused on the party. For the rest of the night she had fun with the guys. She avoided the drinking games like the plague but everything else was a lot of fun. It helped get her mind off everything that had happened. Even though Toby was in the room he didn't do anything or say anything so Bo was able to truly enjoy herself.

It was in the wee hours of the morning that everything was beginning to settle down. Most of the guys were asleep on the tables and such. Bo was the only one truly awake. She had not had a single alcoholic drink the whole night.

She was sitting down next to Luke against one of the walls. He was fast asleep. "It's too bad I can't tell you that I'm a girl," she whispered sadly.

"Why not?"

She jumped and turned her head to see Luke staring directly at her. At first she thought Luke was wide awake but the way his eyes drooped and the amount of cocktails she knew he had consumed he was probably drunk. And from the stories she heard from the other guys Luke doesn't remember anything that happens while he's drunk.

"Cause I can't be an apprentice otherwise," replied Bo.

"Oh?" Luke blinked slowly and leaned forward and before Bo could even move Luke's lips had planted on hers. Bo squealed and pushed Luke away and he tumbled over and didn't move from the ground.

Bo sucked in deep breaths. That was scary. Another thing she had forgotten from the stories about Luke getting drunk. He liked to kiss people.

Hang on.

"AHH!" Bo got to her feet and stared down in disbelief at Luke. "That was my first kiss," she whispered. "No way. I thought it would be much more romantic."

_"And not when I'm pretending to be a boy,_" she added silently. She stared down at the sleeping Luke. But she didn't mind it all that much. She wondered why. _"Hang on. Does that mean that I...like Luke?"_ She shook her head. No way. That would make things very complicated.

She did not like Luke.


	23. The Truth

**Bo: Here is chapter 23.**

**Julius: Finally! A chapter for me! Again! Enjoy the chapter about me!**

**Bo: Hang on! We have a question Julius!**

**Julius: Oh really? Well, who's it from?**

**Bo: Sarahelizabeth1993. She asks if you've ever been attracted to…me? What kind of a question is this!**

**Julius: Well, of course! Who wouldn't be attracted to little helpless Bo!  
Bo: Hey! I'm not helpless**

**Julius: Sure you aren't. Anyway, I can't tell you more because it is plot relevant. –gasp- So, sorry about that! Enjoy the chapter about me!**

Julius knew something was wrong. When he had talked to Bo she was hiding something.

When she had been speaking to Toby she had looked frightened. Toby had looked smug. But when he had spoken to her she wouldn't tell him anything. What did that mean? Could he have been overanalyzing it?

"Julius?"

Julius blinked and looked over the counter to Phoebe. The young woman adjusted her glasses, a pile of jewels in front of her from the mine.

Julius put his fabulous smile and began examining the jewels. After he was done he took out some gold and handed it to Pheobe in exchange for the jewels. "Thanks Phoebe. This will help the fall collection a lot."

"No problem," replied Phoebe. "But is something wrong Julius? You seem out of it."

Julius shook his head. "No. Just thinking."

"Alright then," said Phoebe. She left with the coins and Julius leaned against the counter and sighed deeply.

This wouldn't work out for long. He needed to know if there was something wrong with Bo or not. And it all seemed to come down to Toby. But Bo looked so scared when she asked him to not ask Toby about it. He narrowed his eyes. Was Toby threatening Bo or something? But how could he find something like that out?

"Julius?" Mira walked in and looked over at the purple haired man in concern. She had probably just come back from visiting her husband's grave. "Something wrong? You look concerned."

Julius shook his head. "Oh, nothing is wrong." He smiled to the woman and walked over to her. "Look, I'm all right. Just thinking a lot."

"Alright then Julius," said Mira but she looked uncertain.

Julius smiled. "Don't worry Mira. It's just been a long day."

"Well maybe you should leave early then," offered Mira. "I wouldn't want my best worker out of commission.

As much as Julius hated to say it, he needed the time off so he agreed. After leaving the shop he used the mine cart to get into town. Once there he made his way over to a certain home with a pentagon hanging over the door. He never expected to come here before and for something like this.

Julius knocked a couple times on the door before glancing around. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to do in broad daylight. Everyone was going along their daily business though. Kathy was outside the Brass Bar, Luna was advertising a new scarf that was on sale (Julius made a mental note to check that out later) and Toby. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Toby sitting on the pier fishing. It looked like he didn't have a care in the world, like nothing was wrong.

"_And here I thought I knew you,"_ thought Julius sadly. He turned to the door as he heard it open. A young man with silver-gray hair with green and yellow eyes stared at him. "Hello," said Julius. He put on his best smile. "I heard you do crystal ball readings and such."

"Where did you hear that from?"

"Uh, Hikari."

The Wizard blinked slowly. "Oh?"

Not good. It looked like the Wizard wanted to shut Julius out. So Julius said the first thing that came to mind, "She was talking about using your magic to help her find out how the villagers were doing so she could get the purple bell rung before Kasey because he was cheating on her with the Harvest Goddess or something." Julius shrugged.

The Wizard cracked a smile and somehow Julius felt like this was the kind of guy who didn't do that often. "Yes, that sounds like her." He pushed the door open wider and gestured for Julius to come in.

The fashionable young man did and he was impressed by the astrometry equipment everywhere along with the piles of books. In the center of the main area was what caught Julius's attention. attention.r of the main area was what caught Julius'A crystal ball sitting on a small table. Girls would sometimes come here for fortune telling and they did say that he was accurate.

The Wizard stepped behind the crystal ball and looked up at Julius. "What is it you wish to know? The heart of someone?"

"Sure," said Julius. "Toby."

"Toby?" The Wizard blinked in surprise.

"I want to know how he feels about Bo."

"Alright," the Wizard placed his hands over the crystal ball which had begun to glow. "Toby's heart is filled with jealously and malice towards Bo. He is determined to get what he wants."

"Why?" asked Julius. "I already knew about that. My Bo-senses have been tingling non-stop for a while now. Why?"

"Blackmail. I cannot read exactly what the blackmail is though," replied the Wizard after consulting his crystal ball again. He looked up at Julius. "Is that all?"

Julius nodded. He placed a few coins on the table before leaving. Outside, it was sunny and happy but Julius was anything but. A frown was clear on his face and he watched as Toby fish by the pier. Toby was blackmailing Bo. He had probably found out about Bo being a girl somehow and he was holding it over her head. But what could Toby want that Bo could give?

He groaned. Renee. He was one of the few who knew about Toby's feelings for Renee but since Renee was currently head over heels with Bo...

Oh goddess. Poor Bo. He wanted to go back to the carpenter shop and give Bo a big hug and tell her it was okay and that he would help but he knew he had to be careful. Toby probably threatened her not to tell him. He knew Bo would hate it if Julius was in danger because of her. "I'll guess I'll have to watch you from the shadows," he whispered before heading back to the accessory shop. He needed to go think of a plan to help Bo.


	24. A Present from Vivi

**Bo: After a long wait here is the next chapter!**

**Julius: Hey Bo! Did you know that the writer already has a plan for the next story after yours is done?**

**Bo: WAH! Why? **

**Julius: She saw a picture on pixiv of me, Kasey, Chase and the Wizard in a band and that's going to be the base of the next one.**

**Bo: But…I'm not done yet! There is still so much to do involving me!**

**Julius: Yes yes. That's true. Don't worry, the writer will make it to the end of your story Bo. Okay, now next chapter begin!**

Bo was out in the forest chopping wood. Peck was poking at the grass on the ground nearby, the long rein attaching it to the cart. Today was her day to go out and get some wood and honestly she knew she was doing a good job of it. The wood was nice and even and she now had enough muscle to be able to carry some of the bigger pieces to the cart. She wondered what Beatrice would think about Bo. Probably be proud of her. Her little crybaby sister now could take care of herself. Although she didn't think she would be able to get to Owen's level of muscle. That guy was in a category all of his own.

She shivered as a cold gust of wind blew through the forest. Fall was here but it was already feeling like winter. She was excited to see snow. It would be her first winter on the island and it would probably be awesome.

A flash of Toby's face ran through her head and her smile turned to a frown. Toby was still a problem. She had tried everything to get Renee to like him but she seemed to refuse it all. She was stuck to Bo like glue. _"She's a faithful one alright. The guy that marries her has nothing to worry about. At least if the guy isn't me of course."_

She felt something poke her back. She turned around to see Peck looking down at her. He squawked and pecked her again. "Thanks Peck," said Bo. She hugged Peck's neck. The ostrich was so sweet. "If only I could understand you," she whispered to the huge bird. "I can ask you for advice. Although I don't know what kind of advice you could give me." She chuckled. "Oh boy. Going crazy now that I'm talking to an ostrich."

"Yes you are."

Bo flinched and turned around to the voice. "Vivi." She sighed in relief. "You scared me."

Vivi chuckled and adjusted her black hat. "Well I am a witch." Bo noticed a broom leaning against a tree and the back of her head began hurting again. "Don't worry," said Vivi as she picked up the broom. "I didn't come to whack you in the head again." She glared at Bo who had put up her hands to protect her head. "I'm serious I didn't. I found a way to fix your problem!"

"You did?" asked Bo in surprise.

As if agreeing with her, Peck squawked

"Yup," Vivi held her head up high. "Gale didn't think I could but I showed him!" She laughed and Bo thought she could see thunderbolts flashing behind the witch.

"Gale?"

"Don't worry. I didn't tell him anything," assured Vivi. "I just asked for advice on this!" She pulled out a small bottle and held it out to Bo. The bottle had a small cork closing it off and the liquid inside was a light purple. "Don't make that face," said Vivi. "It's a love potion. Give it to Renee and she'll fall in love with Toby!"

"I don't know about this," said Bo. A love potion? Sure that would get Renee off her tail but was it really the right thing to do?

Vivi placed her free hand on her hip and stared at Bo with a "no nonsense look". "Come on Bo. Don't back out now. Do you have any other bright ideas on how to do it?"

"No. I don't, but…"

Vivi sighed. "You are so stubborn." She set the bottle down on a nearby log. "I'll leave it here." She smiled. "Good luck on whatever you choose!" The witch got on her broom and right in front of Bo the broom lifted into the air. "You need to get Renee to drink it and then say the name of whoever you want her to fall in love with!" she called.

Well, that pretty much confirmed that Vivi was a real witch. Bo watched in shock as Vivi flew over the trees and away, probably in the direction of her house. Bo then turned to the bottle and picked it up. She stared at the light purple liquid. Could she really do it? Could she get Renee to drink this thing?

"Bo!"

She flinched and shoved the bottle in her pocket as Luke stumbled into the clearing. She could feel her face turning red as she thought of that kiss again. When Luke had woken up he had acted like nothing had happened. It had been a bit awkward at the shop that's for sure.

"Hey Luke," she said, taking a step back into the shadow of a tree so he couldn't see her blush. At least she hoped he couldn't.

"Dad wants to know how much wood you got chopped down. The fall season can get kind of crazy since this is the time we get orders from the mainland the most."

"I've got some," replied Bo slowly. _"Calm down Bo! Calm down! Breathe!"_

"Well I've come to help you!" said Luke. He grinned and held up a fist. "These orders can get crazy and I know what it's like to be stuck outside cutting wood until the wee hours in the morning. So I'll help you!"

"Thanks," said Bo happily. She felt the bottle in her pocket. Hmmm. Maybe she should have asked Vivi for a strong one. She didn't know if it would survive a day of chopping wood. "Umm, I forgot something in my room. I'll be right back." She didn't even wait for Luke's reply before hurrying back to the shop.

Linelinelinline

"Julius! Letter for you."

"Thanks Mira," said Julius as he accepted the letter. He smiled when he saw the fancy decoration of flowers on the front and the curly golden letters. "I didn't think they would come in so quickly."

Mira smiled and returned to her counter so Julius could read the letter in peace. Well it actually was an invitation to a party on the mainland. It was a big party and more or less a social event for businesses in the area. If he had gotten his, the others with shops on the island probably did as well. "What's this?" He noticed something else with the letter. Another piece of paper. He read it over and a smile lit up his face.

"What is it?" asked Mira. It was like she could she could sense the happiness radiating off Julius.

Julius shook his head. "It's our turn this year."

"Oh," Mira chuckled, a rare thing for her. "Do you have in mind the three?"

"Of course," replied Julius. "And knowing Kathy, she has already picked as well." This was perfect. A perfect way to cheer Bo up without Toby around. "I have to take the afternoon off," replied Julius. "I'm going to be meeting with everyone."

"Of course," replied Mira. "Take as long as you need."


	25. The Requirements for the Party

**Bo: Here is the next chapter of Torture-Bo-because-you-enjoy-it. –shiver- Next chapter…**

**Julius: What? It's going to be awesome and you know it. Everyone will enjoy it!**

**Bo:...Just read the chapter…**

Bo reared her arm back to take another swing when she heard Dale calling her name.

"Hey Dad!" called Luke as the carpenter walked over to him. Despite his large stature, he wasn't out of breath at all from trekking through the forest. Luke was a liar about that. He said his dad didn't have much stamina for walking around and that's why Luke and Bo were stuck cutting the wood all the time.

Dale held up two envelopes. "They came in. Julius and Kathy are holding a meeting for it in the Brass Bar so you should go over there right now."

"Oh," said Luke. "I didn't think they would come in so quickly but the weather has been a bit colder this year so that could explain it." Luke threw his axe into the cart before taking one of the envelopes from Dale. Bo, who was really confused just followed suit. She saw the envelope was quite fancy with gold lettering. It looked like an invitation of some sort.

"You two should get going before the meeting is over," reminded Dale.

"Oh right! Come on Bo! We are going to have to run!"

"Uh, okay!" A very confused Bo ran after Luke. With amazing time they were out of the forest, used the mine cart of doom and reached the Brass Bar faster than anyone could say, "Kasey and Hikari are having another lover's spat."

"Sheesh. We were just going to start without you," said Kathy as they walked in. Julius was the only other one standing and he shot a smile a Bo. She gave him a quick one before following Luke to one of the tables with Owen. She looked around to see who else was here. Luna, Candace and Anissa were at one table, Pheobe, Maya, Hikari and Renee at another, and Jin, Chase and Kasey at the last. From the way Hikari and Kasey were glaring at each other it was obvious they were having another lover's spat.

"Okay!" Kathy clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Let's all discuss shall we? As you know, this year's annual dance is coming up."

Bo turned to Luke in confusion.

"There's a huge formal party on the mainland every year," whispered Owen as Kathy went over the boring stuff like how they were not allowed to embarrass the island and such. "It may be a party but it's a way for businesses to advertise. In case you haven't noticed, all of us here are from a family that owns a shop or works for one."

"What about Jin?" asked Bo.

"He sells medicine on the side remember? Plus doctors are usually there too and Jin likes to trade tips with them."

"Oh," said Bo. She figured she was invited because she was apprenticing under Dale. She turned her attention to the front of the room as Julius stepped forward.

"As you know," he began. He held up a piece of paper. "It's our turn this year-"

"Really!" cried Luke loudly. He blinked when everyone turned to look at him. "What? I didn't have time to read it."

Julius made an "ahem" sound and continued. "Kathy and I have already chosen who will be the ones." He fell silent as murmurs ran through the small group. Bo turned to Owen who was much better at understanding that Bo needed an explanation.

"There's a little thing each year where one place picks out three members of each gender and they have to cross-dress as the other. Like the three chosen guys have to wear dresses and the girls have to wear tuxs. It's just a fun little quirk thing."

Bo just stared at Owen in shock. What a weird concept for a formal party. Plus it's supposed to be advertising. How can they do that if no one would take them seriously?

Kathy spoke up over the crowd for everyone to be quiet. "Anyway, before Julius and I say who we picked, remember, you guys picked us to be the leaders who would take care of the paperwork and such, so no complaining you got it? Anyway, girls are myself, Phoebe and Luna."

"Alright," said Phoebe, fixing her glasses. "I'm okay with it."

"Darn," Luna sighed. "And I thought I would get to wear that pretty dress I made for it too." Candace put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm not sad Candace. I'll just make sure you have the best dress there!"

"For guys," spoke up Julius. "Myself." Everyone agreed with that one, no questions asked. "Chase."

"Wha!" Chase glared at Julius. "Why do I have to wear a dress? No way!" Julius just glared at Chase until the blond main backed down. "Fine," he grumbled.

"And the final cross-dress will be…Bo!"

Bo almost fell out of her chair. Her? Her? Her who was cross-dressing as a boy was going to cross-dress as a girl? Would that be called double cross-dressing or just dressing up? Wait. Why should the name matter?

"I think Bo is in shock," Luke poked her. "Jin! I think Bo is having a heart attack or something!"

"I'm fine!" cried Bo quickly, recovering at the mention of Jin. If Jin really believed Luke and started examining her…oh boy…

"Okay," said Kathy, deciding to move on. We have two weeks until the part so let's make sure the cross-dressing is done right so we won't be embarrassed."

"Come to the tailor shop if need be!" exclaimed Luna in shameless advertising.

"Right, you can all return to your normal lives now," said Julius.

People began getting up to leave including Luke but Bo told him to go on ahead and that she would catch up before running over to Julius.

"Good idea right?" asked Julius happily as Bo approached.

Bo looked around and thankfully everyone was out of hearing range. Just to be on the safe side she lowered her voice anyway. "Are you crazy. Why me?"

"Cause I thought you would look best as a girl.

Bo glared at him. "That's because…you know!"

Julius put his hands on his hips. "Bo. You want Luke to see you as a girl for one night don't you? Plus this won't reveal your secret or anything."

"But…" protested Bo.

"No buts. But we might have a problem getting you a dress since we probably can't go to the tailor shop…"

Bo thoughts drifted to Vivi. "I…I might be able to get a dress…it fits me too."

Julius stared at Bo in surprise but didn't comment on it. "Great then! That'll make it much easier!" He stared at Bo's face and she backed up a step. He was looking at her so intently…it was scary.

"What?"

"I'm trying to figure out your makeup because there's no way I'm letting you go out without anything. Hmm. Maybe a huge necklace-what color and style is this dress in Bo?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait Julius! Jewelry? Makeup?"

"Of course. Chase is getting some as well but you're going to get special treatment!"

"But…but…"

"No buts! And that is final. Now, you should go back to the carpenter shop before they think I kidnapped you. And sneak the dress over to me later so I can get a good look at it."

Bo knew no argument would help her case. She would be going to this party whether she liked it or not…as a girl. "I'll get the dress to you soon," she said with a sigh.

"Great," said Julius happily. "And we should get our outfits color-coordinated too!"

Bo left Julius alone to plan that while she headed back to the carpenter shop.


	26. Drama at the Party

**Bo: Julius. Why isn't there not many fanarts of me? I look everywhere but there's only have three or four on devianart and one on pixiv.**

**Julius: Cause you aren't a bachelor Bo…**

**Bo: But Mira has way more fanart than I do!**

**Julius: She's Mira…you know what Bo? I really want to see fanart of you in a dress.**

**Bo: Yeah right, like that's going to happen! –glares at readers- Do not make fanart of me in a dress you hear me!**

**Julius: Oh stop it Bo. Anyway, everyone, enjoy this extra-long chapter of Dreaming by a Secret. I know I did. –grin-**

**Bo: AHHH! Don't talk about it! –runs away-**

"Julius, I think this is a bad idea."

"Nonsense Bo, now hold your head still. Do you want your makeup to smudge?"

Bo sat frozen in the chair. It was the day-err night of the huge party. She had gone over to Julius's house to get ready for it…as a girl. When she had gotten there Julius was already dressed and ready to go in a long halter top purple dress with a slit going up to the knee on a side complete with a purple feather boa. He had accented with huge jewelry pieces that perfectly accented the dress. His makeup was spot on and too much but he did wear it all the time so it wasn't that big of a difference. It was the fact that Julius had fake-breasts that surprised her.

"Bo, if I didn't, it would seem weird that you only have then," Julius pointed out. "Since in the dress you would be unable to bind your chest."

"Uh, right." This was the strangest thing ever. Bo was going to be walking around as a girl and everyone would think that she was a really good cross-dresser. She wondered what Luke would think…

She was going to shake her head but realizing that in doing so would make Julius annoyed she did it mentally. Why should it matter what Luke thought? Plus she had to make sure she wasn't too good at pretending to be a girl. She didn't want to get people suspicious of her.

"Okay," Julius stepped back and gestured for Bo to walk over to the tall mirror. "I'm finished. Honestly, I can say you were a challenge. I would say take better care of your skin but," he shrugged. "What am I going to do? You weren't going to listen to me about that either way."

Bo was no longer listening to Julius. She was staring in shock at her reflection in the mirror. Julius had given her a wig in her exact same hair color that fell in waves to just below her shoulders. The makeup almost invisible but Bo's green eyes definitely stood out. Julius had even found Bo a pair of red strap-sandals to give her some extra height.

"I can't believe this…" whispered Bo. "I…I look like a girl."

"Of course you do," said Julius. Hearing a knock at the front he went to get it. "Chase. You are late."

"Sorry," grumbled the cook, walking in. He froze when he saw Bo standing there, all feminine. "No way. Is that you Bo? You look like a girl!"

"Of course," scoffed Julius. "My skills are good enough for that. Now, hurry and get out of those work clothes Chase." Julius picked up a dark blue dress that had been sitting on the back of a chair. "We are going to be late otherwise!"

"I will hurry," Chase crossed his arms. "After setting a few ground rules. Like I'm not wearing any makeup."

Julius just stared at Chase for a few moments. It actually looked quite intimating in a dress too. A devilish grin spread across his face. Bo took that cue to turn around as Chase's cries of protest were quickly snuffed out.

Linelinelineline

"How do girls walk in these?" snapped Chase as the three cross-dressers made their way over to the port.

Julius had won the battle and Chase was now in a dark blue dress that hung off one shoulder. And he was also forced to wear fake-breasts too. His hair had been combed and the strands that would fall in his face were held back by dark blue sparkly barrettes.

"You'll get used to them," replied Julius. Out of the three, his shoes were the tallest and the pointiest and yet he was complaining not one bit. Bo, since she was a girl had at least some practice with these kinds of shoes so she was alright. Chase just looked downright miserable.

When they reached the port, everyone was pretty much there except for the cross-dressing girls.

"Whoa Bo! You look like a girl!" Luke ran over to them. He was wearing a tux, something Bo never thought she would see him in and he didn't have his signature bandana on either and his blue hair was not flying everywhere.

"Of course," said Julius. "I used my skills and turned Bo into a girl."

"And you all have boobs too!" said Luke. "They look real; I mean it looks like you have a little cleavage Bo!"

Bo stifled the urge to wrap her arms around her chest. This was embarrassing! Why did she let Julius get away with this? This was a bad idea!

"Luke. You know it is impolite to speak about a woman like that," scolded Julius.

"But Bo's a guy so it's alright," said Luke, a wide grin on his face.

Bo hoped it was too dark to see the blush that was creeping up her face. From the way Julius was staring at Luke it was obvious he was trying to think of a good comeback that would not give a clue that Bo was girl.

However they didn't have to worry for the cross dressing girls had arrived. All three wore tuxs and they looked really comfortable in them.

"Wow," commented Own. "You girls really pulled it off."

"Of course," replied Kathy proudly. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Although you guys look really good as girls."

"Why thank you," Julius struck a pose.

Chase just crossed his arms and looked away in annoyance and Bo just looked at the ground.

"Shall we get going?" asked Kasey. Hikari was standing next to him looking quite content. They had probably made up from their last fight. Bo was seriously wondering how they managed to keep their marriage together all this time.

"Let's," agreed Kathy. "Come on guys. Let's make this a party that none of us will ever forget!. Let's make this a party that none of us will ever forget!"

Linelinelinline

Bo sucked in a deep breath as they entered the huge hall that was the home to the party. It was ridiculous. Maybe the whole island of Castanet could fit into this room! There were so many people there, more people than Bo had ever seen in one place.

"Now don't get overwhelmed," whispered Julius. "You won't have to do much since Luke is here so just mingle and have fun."

"That's easy for you to say," whispered Bo but Julius had already disappeared into the crowd. Not really knowing what to do she made her way over to one of the many food tables scattered around the room. She was trying to figure out if the black stuff on a piece of hard bread was cavier or something else when someone approached her.

"Wow Luke wasn't kidding when you said you look like a girl."

Bo snapped upwards and turned to face the person head on, her face trying to be pleasant. It was a young man with short brown hair. He was smiling at Bo. "I'm Joe by the way. I'm a carpenter from Leaf Valley. Luke and I are good friends."

"Oh," said Bo. She accepted Joe's outstretched hand and shook it. She had heard of Leaf Valley and the good work the carpenters from there did but they were nothing compared to Dale. "Well, I'm Bo."

Joe smiled. "Anyway I should probably be going, have to advertise you know?"

Bo bid farewell to Joe and continued to sample on the different snacks on every table. Every now and then someone would come up to her and say how good her cross dress was. She thanked them for the compliment and after a brief conversation they moved on. She was surprised to find out that there were a lot of farmers here along with the carpenters, blacksmiths and restaurants.

She stopped before the drink table and stared at the many different colored liquids in the many types of glasses. She put her hand in the pocket of the dress (she was surprised to have discovered it before) and closed her hand around the small vial filled with light purple liquid.

She had brought the love potion with her to the party but the question was could she do it? While she had been walking around she had a feeling of eyes watching her. Renee. She was probably trying to work up the nerve to ask Bo to dance or something. She picked up one of the empty glasses and shifted to a corner where she prompted to pour the contents of the vial into the wine glass while feeling terrible the whole time while doing it.

"Uh, Bo?"

Bo flinched and turned around to the voice. Well, speak of the goddess, it was Renee. She was wearing a short sea green dress that nicely showed off her legs. The girl was looking around nervously. "Umm, Bo," said Renee. "I know it must be uncomfortable for you to walk around in a dress like that."

"Uh, yeah," said Bo. She gripped the glass tightly, so tight she was afraid she was going to break it. "Here," she held out the glass to Renee.

The young girl just stared at Bo in surprise before accepting the glass. "Uh, thank you Bo."

"It's a new drink I saw out there and I thought you might like it," said Bo quickly. "So, uh, can you give it a try?"

The young woman nodded and lifted the drink to her lips. At first her sips were tentative but then she downed the whole thing, probably Vivi's doing or something. Renee's eyes clouded over, telling Bo it was time to say the name.

"I'm sorry," said Bo. "But I need you to fall in love with-"

"Hey Bo!" Kasey called from pretty much was the other side of the hall, Hikari next to him. They seemed to be looking for something. "Have you seen a farmer named Jack around?"

"I haven't Kasey!" Bo called back.

"Alright then!" Kasey called.

Bo turned back to Renee. Time to finish the spell. However Renee's eyes were no longer clouded over. They looked quite clear. The first thought that ran through Bo's head was, _"Was there a time limit?"_

"I'm sorry Bo," said Renee. She bowed to Bo before straightening up.

"Sorry?" repeated Bo.

Renee nodded. "I'm sorry for leading you on, I realize that it is wrong. I just figured out who I really care about now."

"Oh?" said Bo slowly, not liking this.

"Kasey," she said happily before running over to him and pretty much threw herself at him. Hikari looked ready to murder Kasey and Kasey just looked very confused.

Bo just stared at the situation. Well, on one hand she did make Renee not like her anymore but Kasey? Somehow she knew she was going to see Hikari around the Garmon Mine District a lot with her cheating on Kasey with the Harvest God or whatever that was about. She made a mental note to ask Vivi after the party was over to do something about this.

She could spare no more time to think about Renee for Luke had walked over to her. "Hey Bo, how have you been holding up?"

"Fine," replied Bo. "You?"

"I'm used to this," Luke was grinning. "Anyway, there's something I want to show you. Come on!"

"Alright," replied Bo, happy to have an excuse to get out of the watching range of the mini-drama unfolding before her even though she knew it was all her fault. She would fix it when they got back. That she vowed herself.

Luke took Bo to the other end of the hall where a door to the outside stood. When they walked outside, Bo saw they were on a balcony overlooking a huge forest that seemed to stretch out for miles. A small wooden bench was situated so someone could sit and enjoy the nature.

Luke walked over to the bench and sat down before gesturing for Bo to sit next to him. Bo complied. "They're going to start soon," said Luke. "Everyone usually likes watching it inside but I always loved to watch it out here. And I'm really happy that another apprentice joined Dad and I cause I can share this spot with you too!"

Bo felt horrible. Luke looked so happy as he jiggled back in forth with anticipation. She was here because of a lie. She was lying to Dale and Luke, and almost everyone on the island. She just wanted to spill it out, to tell Luke that the reason she was such a good cross-dresser was the fact that she really was a girl. Filled with resolve she opened her mouth to spill it all out but Luke pointed to the sky.

"Look! Look!" he exclaimed as the first firework exploded in the sky in a shower of bright colors.

Bo turned her attention to the sky, knowing she could not say it now, the moment was lost. She watched as the fireworks exploded above her and slowly her mood became brighter as Luke exclaimed after every firework exploded.

"That one was so cool!"

"That one had bright blue and green Bo!"

"Whoa! That one looks like a rabbit!"

It went on for a while but suddenly Luke was silent. "Luke?" Bo asked in confusion, turning her head to him. She almost jumped when she saw Luke was staring at her intently his golden eyes seemed to be fixed on her. "What is it?" asked Bo. "Is my wig crooked?"

Luke leaned close to Bo and before she knew it, his lips were planted on hers. Bo's green eyes grew wide but she didn't make any move to stop him as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him. She could no longer think straight and she was about to close her eyes and given in but then Luke suddenly pulled away from her, his arms pushing her away with force.

"S…Sorry," said Luke, not looking at her in the face. He got up and quickly hurried back inside, leaving Bo alone on the bench with the fireworks going on in the sky above.

Bo's brain was still not functioning probably as she touched her lips.

"Bo? What happened?" Julius stepped outside and hurried over to her. "I saw Luke come in and he looked upset. Did something happen?"

Bo looked up at the purpled haired man and her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. Julius sat on the bench next to Bo and looked up at the fireworks like he had all the time in the world to wait.

"He kissed me Julius," Bo was finally able to spit it out. "He kissed me and I think he was sober too."


	27. After the Party

**Bo: Well here is the next chapter!**

**Julius: And there is much more of me in this one!**

**Bo: -sigh- Can you believe the writer is going to cosplay as me to an anime convention?**

**Julius: Yes I can! And there's going to be a Renee, Vivi and me as well too! Anyway. Enjoy the chapter!**

Julius was in his house creating designs for the new jewelry line when he heard a knock on his door. It was the day after the ball and everyone who went to the party was taking a break today. Dancing and such tends to tire people out.

Julius went to the door, not really sure who would be coming to his house today. Maybe Bo? But his Bo senses weren't tingling at all so it couldn't be that. He pulled open the door and blinked in surprise to who was standing there. "Luke?" he asked in surprise.

The young man looked around. "Can I talk to you Julius?"

Julius had some idea what this was about so he just nodded and let Luke inside. "I was working on the new jewelry designs so pardon the mess on the table," he said as Luke entered the living room while Julius went to the kitchen to make some herb tea. He knew that Luke was going to need it.

"So Luke, what is the problem?" asked Julius as he entered the living room. He handed Luke one of the cups before settling on the other couch with his. He frowned at the table which was covered in papers with his jewelry designs. He quickly used one hand to move all the papers out of the way so they had a place to put their cups down without putting it on his work.

"Uh…" Luke began fidgeting around. "I have a friend."

"Of course," said Julius calmly. He sipped his tea. "A friend."

"Yeah, and he well, his fellow apprentice looked like a girl one night and he couldn't control himself because he found himself really attracted to him-who looked like a girl so he kissed him and then freaked out and left the fellow apprentice alone and now he can't look at the fellow apprentice in the face without thinking of how pretty he looked like dressed up as a girl and now he thinks he's starting to like the fellow apprentice in a weird way and it's driving him insane so…" Luke broke off and quickly downed his tea.

Julius had to drink as well, but only to hide his smile. This was adorable. When he put down his drink he saw Luke was staring at him intently, waiting for an answer. "Well," he said. "What if the fellow apprentice was a girl? Would it be okay then?"

"Of course," replied Luke. "That would be fine but the fellow apprentice is a guy."

"What if Bo was a girl?" asked Julius. He watched Luke closely for his reaction.

Luke flinched at the mention of Bo's name. "Why are you bringing Bo into this? I'm talking about my friend. It has nothing to do with Bo."

"Uh huh," Julius noticed that his tea cup was empty. Darn. Trying not to smile was harder than it looked. "Of course it doesn't. Now answer the question. What would you say if Bo was a girl?"

Luke forcefully laughed. "But Bo isn't a girl. He wouldn't be able to train under my dad if he was a girl."

Julius did not say anything. He was already pushing it. Might as well end it there. "Well, the only advice I can give this friend of yours is to follow his heart. Do what his heart says. If it says to go after this fellow apprentice in a relationship, then do it."

Luke sighed. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that." He got up. "Thanks for the tea and advice Julius but I'm sorry that my friend will be unable to take it."

Julius nodded but didn't move from the couch until he heard Luke slam the front door closed. He put down the teacup and pretty much fell over on the couch. Oh boy. This relationship was getting to a very difficult point. "This much harder than it looks. Are you enjoying the show? I know I promised you a lot but this is just getting ridiculous. Not like I mind though." He got up and headed for his work desk, hoping that Luke would figure out what Julius truly meant.

Linelineline

Vivi burst out laughing as Bo finished telling her about what happened. "I can't believe it. Renee ended up falling in love with Kasey?" She clapped her hands. "That's just so precious."

"Stop laughing!" cried Bo. "It's serious. What will happen when Toby sees it? He'll think it's all my fault!" She shivered. "And he might tell everyone my secret."

"Sorry, sorry," Vivi rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "I just can't believe that something like that would happen though. I didn't think anyone could screw up a love potion. It's so easy what you have to do."

"Well I did," huffed Bo. She crossed her arms. "Now can you please help me?"

Vivi nodded. "Yes yes. Although you probably won't have to do a thing. Kasey will probably come by here later asking me for a potion." That didn't surprise Bo that Kasey knew Vivi. Kasey was more on the magically accepting scale than anyone on the island was except for Hikari.

Bo got up. Although Dale had given her the day off she wanted to practice a carving a bit more today. "Well thanks for the help Vivi."

The witch waved her hand. "It's no problem Bo. Plus I can't be getting a reputation that my potions suck can I? That would be bad for business."

Bo wanted to ask what business, but she decided not to. It probably was some weird witch thing that she wouldn't understand anyway. "Still, thanks Vivi."

Vivi nodded. "Next time, I'll make you a love potion to make Luke fall in love with you."

Bo almost tripped over her own feet. "Ummm, please don't."

Vivi chuckled as if she knew something Bo didn't. "Okay then. I won't."

Bo not really wanting to hang around Vivi anymore because of the weird vibe she was giving off took her leave and headed back to the carpenter shop.


	28. A Secret

**Bo: Sorry for the long wait. The writer is really sorry but college takes up a LOT of time.**

**Julius: At least the next chapter is out.**

**Bo: True. And we get serious again in this chapter. –sigh- I like the happy ones better.**

**Julius: I know you do but this one…will be awesome. And the next one too!**

**Bo: Yes it will. Anyway, enjoy watching me suffer all you sadistic people. –grumbles and walks away-**

"I got the next set of orders," announced Bo as she walked into the carpenter shop. One of the duties that the carpenter shop does in fall and winter was to go around the island to every house and see if anyone needed anything made or repaired.

"Put it down on the table," replied Luke from the back where he was working on a table for the Brass Bar. Owen had broken the last one when he had punched it in a drunken rage. Kathy was not happy about it at all. Safe to say Bo would never get on Kathy's bad side.

"We got a bunch this time," said Bo as she put the orders down. "Where's Dale?" she asked when she noticed that he wasn't here. Weird. With this many orders he was usually here working like crazy to get them done.

"Dad went to the main land," replied Luke as he worked. He had not looked up once.

"Oh," replied Bo. She watched Luke as he worked. What was with him? For the past couple of days he hasn't looked at her in the face once. Did she do something wrong?

Wait.

Maybe he found out that she was a girl? No. That can't be it. Then he would have probably told Dale and then she would have been kicked out or worse.

"There's a delivery to Julius's house," Luke pointed to an obnoxiously purple chair by the door. "Can you take care of that? We have too many orders so I don't have the time to do it myself."

Not knowing what else to do Bo picked up the chair and headed outside. What the heck was going on? Why was he being so distant. Maybe Julius would know the answer. So with that one thought in mind she hurried off in the direction of Julius's house.

Linelineline

Vivi poured some newt eyes into her potion pot when she heard a banging at her door. She smiled and skipped over the door and pulled it open. "Kasey," she said in mock surprise. "What are you doing here?" She released her Cheshire cat grin. "Don't tell me you finally decided to divorce Hikari and come to me." She primped her hair with a hand. "Oh my Kasey, I didn't know you were like that."

"Stop kidding around Vivi," said Kasey. He glanced fearfully back at the forest. "I need a potion. Renee is in love with me and I have no idea why. It was fine before because she was only around in public but now she's stalking my house and somehow she's getting in and leaving flowers and love notes everywhere-do you know want to know what she was doing in the bedroom-Vivi. Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry, sorry," said the Witch. She wiped tears from her eyes. Well she now knew the potion was a success. A bit too successfully but Vivi would count this as a win. Now she could go rub it in Gale's face later. It was a success! "Anyway. Here you go," she pulled out a small bottle out of the pocket in her dress and handed it to Kasey. "Just tell her to drink this and you'll be fine."

Kasey stared at Vivi funny. "How did you know? Usually you send me on a wild goose chase for ingredients but this time you already have it. What's going on here?" His eyes narrowed. "Vivi. Did you do something?"

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Vivi in mock surprise. "I don't know what you are talking about. Now, are you going to take the potion or not. Because Renee is coming up the path right now."

Kasey flinched and he looked back slowly. "Renee!" he exclaimed in surprise as he was tackled by the girl. Vivi chuckled and closed the door. She should leave them alone to have a last fun time together. "Anyway," she said to herself as she heard scuffling coming from outside the door, "I should get back to work on that experiment of mine."

Linelineline

"Oh Bo, what are you doing here?" asked Julius in surprise when he opened the door to see Bo standing there.

"Brought a delivery," she replied as she held up the chair in her arms.

"Great," replied Julius. "I was waiting-Oh no! Bo, you can put it on front of my desk. I forgot that I had something in the oven."

Bo nodded and stepped into Julius's fabulous purple home as the young man rushed into his kitchen. While Julius was fiddleing around in the kitchen Bo took the chair to Julius's desk and put it down. She stretched her arms. "Well that was a good workout," she chuckled. She paused when she saw something with her name on it under a pile of sketches. She felt bad for wanting to look but she was really curious. She reached down and picked it out of the pile. She saw it was a letter. A letter addressed to her. From Beatrice.

"Sorry about that Bo," said Julius cheerfully as he walked over. He paused when he saw Bo staring at the letter in shock. "Bo…" he said slowly.

Bo looked over at Julius. "Where did you get this?" she asked. "It's a letter to me from my sister. Why do you have it…" She trailed off when she noticed another piece of paper under it.

"Bo…"

Bo's eyes widen as she saw the second piece of paper. "What is the meaning of this Julius. Please explain." She held it up. "This is a letter I sent to Beatrice. Why is it here in your house? What is going on Julius!"

Julius looked down. He was clearly miserable now, all traces of fabulousness gone. "Bo. You need to understand. She asked me to do it. She asked me to keep writing to you."

"What?" asked Bo. She stared at Julius in horror. "You mean this whole time I was sending letters to you!"

Julius nodded. "Yes. You were actually talking to me."

"Why Julius?" Bo's hands were trembling. "Why? Where is she now? Where's Beatrice? Why are you writing me letters instead of her!"

Julius looked up at Bo sadly. "Bo. I know this may be hard to believe but…your sister, Beatrice, she died two years ago."


	29. Thoughts of The Past

**Bo: Hey guys! After a long break we're back!**

**Julius: The writer has been very busy with college so she hasn't had time to write like she normally would but…**

**Bo: She has winter break coming up next week….-grumbles- Which means more chapters.**

**Julius: That's right Bo! More chapters of fun! Anyway, enjoy the chapter that features a lot of me!**

Bo just stared at Julius in utter shock. She blinked and tried to process what he said again. "What?" she whispered. She chuckled slightly. "Julius. You have got to be kidding. I mean, it can't really be true right?" Julius's face still held the same depressed look. Bo began to shake. "Julius. You…it can't be. Did you really know my sister?"

"I did," replied Julius. "She came to the island two years ago. I met her when she was heading towards the Garmon Mine. She had heard the stories of the Harvest God taking residence at the top and she wanted to see it for herself."

Bo nodded slightly. "That's so like her. She would want to do something like that."

Julius walked over and pulled out the desk chair and gestured for Bo to sit before grabbing another chair and sitting down himself. Bo did not know what else to do so she sat down in the chair he offered her.

"I found her to be very interesting," said Julius. He smiled. "Unlike Hikari and Kasey she actually seemed to be genuinely interested in the actual science if there was a Harvest God or not. Unlike Hikari and Kasey who just…well you know."

Bo nodded. Hikari and Kasey were just believed because they could. Beatrice was the type of woman who would only believe if she saw it with her own eyes. "So?" she asked. "What happened?"

"She went up to the mountain top and came back. She said she didn't see anything. She was very disappointed but she didn't want to just give up so she decided to stay on the island for a couple more days than planned. On her second day here I saw her sitting on the edge of the river, right outside my house writing a letter." Julius locked his eyes with Bo. "When I asked her about it, she mentioned that she was writing a letter to you Bo." Julius smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "She talked a lot about you that day. About how brave and strong you were. How goal orientated you were but lacked confidence sometimes to pull through till the end. She told me how much she loved your letters. About the many things you wrote about. How school was going and such. And about how you wanted to be a great carpenter."

Bo's hands were shaking. "What else happened?" she whispered. She sucked in a shaky breath. What would Julius tell her next?

"A day later I found her at the entrance of the forest, collapsed. I took her to Jin who said…" Julius trailed off. He seemed to be concerned to what to say next. "He said Beatrice was dying from an illness."

Bo's head shot up. "What? An illness?" Bo's thoughts ran through all the letters Beatrice sent her. The letters never mentioned any real illness. Just a cold here and there. Nothing else. "That can't be…"

Julius nodded. "Beatrice confirmed it. She said she got it while traveling through some jungle somewhere. The illness was slowly robbing her of her strength. She knew she didn't have much longer to live. The final place she wanted to see was Castanet. Jin asked her if she wanted to be transferred to a big city hospital but Beatrice refused. She wanted to die on the island."

"Why Castanet?" whispered Bo. "Why did she want to come here? Why didn't she want to come home to her family!"

"She told me when Jin was out one day to the mainland to get some medicine for her so she could sleep more comfortably. It was you Bo. She wanted to check out Dale's carpenter shop for you to see if it was worth it for you to dress up as a boy to train there." Julius swallowed like he was struggling to hold back tears. "And she said it was worth it. She said she knew you would learn a lot there. Her final wish. She told me… to watch over you when you came to the island. To make sure you followed your dream. And her second wish…was for me to continue writing you letters. So you would think Beatrice was still alive. So you would keep going on. No matter how hard it gets. She wanted you to continue to go on."

Bo opened her mouth but closed it again. Her green eyes were set to the ground. This couldn't be possible, could it? That meant for the past two years she had been talking to Julius instead of Beatrice. That explained why Julius knew who she was when she first came to the island. She had sent a picture of herself with her boy haircut to Beatrice. "That means… I've been talking to you for the past two years?"

"Yes," replied Julius sadly. "Beatrice passed away that night after telling me her final wish. And no, your parents don't know either. I've been sending them letters too."

Bo wrapped her arms around herself. She suddenly felt so cold. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

Julius got up and put his hands on Bo's shoulders. "I'm sorry for what I did Bo. But I was following your sister's last wish. She wanted you to be happy. She didn't want you to drop everything because of her death. Come with me Bo."

Julius gently led Bo outside. He took her behind his house, snow gently falling from overhead. He stopped before a small stone in his backyard. It looked like any other stone but Bo knew it wasn't just that. She collapsed before the stone, the tears free-flowing form her face. "Was she cremated?" asked Bo through her tears.

"Yes," replied Julius. "She was and the ashes were thrown over the ocean. Just like she wanted."

"Good," whispered Bo before collapsing into a fresh wave of tears.


	30. Sorrow for Her

**Julius: We made it to chapter 30! I'm so proud of us!  
Bo: Yeah…but this is kind of sad you know?**

**Julius: True. I know this will come as a shock but Dreaming by a Secret is almost over! I know, I know. It's so sad! Bo, you're sad too right?**

**Bo: Sure…sure…Enjoy the chapter.**

"Hey Bo."

Bo stepped into the carpenter shop. She felt numb after crying so long that she didn't react at first to Selena waiting by the door. She did take a double-take after a few moments. "What are you doing here Selena?" she asked the dancer.

"I'm waiting for Luke," replied Selena. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the wall. "We're going out for a date today…hey. Are you okay? Your eyes are red."

"I'm fine," said Bo quickly. She turned away. Other than the pain she was feeling for the loss of her sister she also felt something else. Why didn't Luke tell her about the date?

"Are you sure?" Selena stepped closer to Bo.

Bo just stepped away. "I'm fine," she said quickly. "I have work to do so excuse me." Bo hurried into the work area. One of her big projects, given to her by Dale was to make a crib that was ordered By Kasey and Hikari. The fact that they were going to have a child was the scary part. Bo had wondered, when she first got the job, if the child would suffer or would the child be born and act just like Hikari and Kasey. Or was there something else involved. Bo had went to their house a couple days before to get the specifics on how they wanted the crib. After talking about the crib for a few minutes the two had gotten into a fight involving a Finn of some sort and the color purple. Bo didn't know. She stopped listening to the conversation after the Harvest God came up.

She grabbed her carving knife from the wok bench and settled before the finished framed crib. Bo had to carve a design of some sort in it. Maybe work would get her off the thoughts that were swirling around in her head.

Bo looked up as the door to private area opened and Luke stepped out. "Hey Bo," he said when he noticed Bo at the work area.

"Hi," said Bo quietly. She swallowed as the thought of her sister's death hit her again in full force. She turned her head away from Luke and began to focus more on the carving she was doing.

"I'm going out for the day. You can take care of work with my dad right?"

Bo bit her lip and nodded in reply.

"Great," said Luke, his uplifting tone the complete opposite to Bo's. "I'm going now! Hopefully my date goes well!"

"Good luck," said Bo softly. Even getting those words out was hard for her. She stared at the grain of the wood until she heard Luke and Selena leave the shop. She swallowed and tried to push her emotions down as she returned to carving.

After what seemed like a long time she heard Dale's familiar gait as he walked over to the work area. "Bo? What's wrong?"

"What?" Bo stopped her carving and looked up at her mentor.

Dale gestured to his face. Bo touched the same spot on her face. It was wet. Bo stared at it dumbly. She thought she had cried herself out at her sister's grave but she was wrong.

Dale squatted next to Bo and gently took the carving knife out of her hand. "What's wrong?"

Bo could barely speak with a huge lump in her throat. "Just a family matter," said Bo lightly. She tried to laugh but failed miserably.

"Oh," said Dale in a comforting way. "Well why don't you take the rest of the day off work then?" He patted Bo on the head. "Take as much time as you need."

Bo bit her lip to try to stop herself from sobbing right then and there. "Right," she said. She got to her feet and was about to clean up when Dale stopped her.

"I'll clean up. You go and take some time to yourself."

"Thanks Dale," Bo said quietly as she headed for the door. When she reached the door, she paused and looked back. "I just found out my sister passed away two years ago."

Dale looked up. "Was her name Beatrice?"

Bo's fist tightened. "What? You knew her?" That was silly to say. Of course he did. This was a small island. Plus Julius did say that Beatrice had come here to check out Dale's carpenter shop.

Dale's expression turned to one of sorrow. "I remember her. She came by two years ago. She was asking a lot of questions about the shop. When I asked her why she mentioned that she had a younger brother that wanted to apprentice here. I didn't know it was you Bo."

Bo's fingers tightened around the door as another fresh wave of tears overcame her. Her sister had lied for her two years ago; before Bo was even sure she was going to come here. Bo struggled to control her emotions. "Thanks for giving me time off," she whispered before hurrying outside.

Linelinelineline

Julius checked the glass case one more time to make sure every one of the winter collection was in the perfect spot. Mira was working the other counter. Julius shifted some of his fabulous purple hair behind his ear as he lifted his head up. It had been four days since he had told Bo the truth about Beatrice. It felt good to get it finally off his chest. He didn't have to lie anymore within letters. He always felt bad about that. Talking to Bo and then writing letters as her sister. That just felt wrong in a sense. He was glad that the truth was finally out even if it meant if Bo had to find out the awful truth about her sister.

"Oh Luke, what are you doing here?" asked Mira in surprise.

Luke? Julius perked up.

"Hey Mira," said the carpenter's son. "Dad got this huge job from some rich family and they want gems encrusted on their bedpost." He pulled out a small list and handed it to her.

Mira looked it over. "We might have some of these in back. I'll go get them for you."

As soon Mira left, Julius slid to the spot where she was. "So, how's Bo doing?"

"Bo?" asked Luke in surprise. He shrugged. "Moping around." He placed his elbow on the display case and put his head in his hand. "I don't know why. Seriously. He's been moping around and doing nothing for the past couple of days. It's kind of-" Luke's voice cut off as Julius grabbed the collar of the carpenter's shirt.

"What did you say!" snapped Julius angrily. "He's not moping around!"

"What are you talking about!" cried Luke in surprise. He was taken aback by Julius's actions. Julius was a peaceful sort of person.

Julius released Luke in shock. He blinked slowly. "You don't know?" He was surprised. He thought Dale would have told his son about this. Julius glanced back but Mira wasn't coming back. Good. He leaned close to Luke. "Bo just found out her sister passed away. Remember the woman on the island two years ago, the one with blond hair that came to the carpenter shop? The one that died on the island? Her."

Luke's face turned pale. Julius couldn't believe it. He didn't know. "I…I…" Luke stuttered. He scratched the back of his head. "Now I feel horrible."

"Why didn't you know?" asked Julius. "I thought Dale would have told you."

Luke looked away, his face filled with guilt. "I took the week off work. Selena and I have been hanging out a lot. We visited Toucan Island. And…I guess we didn't have time to talk."

Julius didn't know if he wanted to hit Luke for being inconsiderate or not. "Well that's what's going on with Bo." He moved back to the other counter as Mira came back with a small bag.

While she was going over the jewels and the order list with Luke, Julius was in thought. He didn't have a purpose as Beatrice anymore. So now he was just Julius. He glanced over at Luke and sighed. "Poor Bo," he said to himself.

Linelineline

"Are you sure you're okay to work today?" asked Dale when he saw Bo at the working station.

"I'm fine," said Bo. She smiled slightly but there was sadness to the smile. She gestured to the crib. "I should probably finish this before Hikari's baby arrives though."

Dale chuckled. "Of course." He returned to the front counter.

Bo returned to her work. Like always she found carving to be a soothing job. She was well into the work when she felt someone standing next to her. "Hi Luke," she said to the young man. He had been really distant to her for the past couple of days.

Luke shifted his eyes away from Bo and he scratched the back of his head. "I'm uh sorry." He would look at Bo and turn his eyes away quickly. "I heard about your sister from Julius. She was an awesome person. I only saw her once though."

Bo took in a shaky breath and smiled sadly to Luke. "Oh. Thanks Luke. That means a lot to me."

Luke blinked and turned away from Bo. Was he blushing? Bo wasn't sure. "I'm going to go get some work done," he said before walking away.

Bo chuckled slightly and returned to her work.

.


	31. New Year's Festival

**Bo: Here's chapter 31!**

**Julius: We're getting so close to the end. –sniff- That's kind of sad.**

**Bo:… You're going to be a major part of the story after this one.**

**Julius: I know. But still! It won't be the same. –hugs Bo- Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

Bo nodded in happiness at the stool she had just finished. Dale now trusted her with making more of the furniture by herself and well, that meant she had her own work load now. Some of the islanders loved her carving work that they had requested her to make the furniture. She smiled as she looked down at the stool. This one had been a request from Renee. Bo had been scared at first that the girl would scream that she loved Bo and such but the young woman did not act like that. She just smiled at Bo and told the carpenter her order and that she wanted Bo to do the carving design. It was so normal that Bo didn't hear her at first. It was only when Dale pushed her forward a bit did it register. Bo was going to do true carpenter work now.

_"I made it this far. But it was all because of a lie…"_ She tightened her fists. One day, she knew she would tell Dale and Luke the truth. Even if she gets kicked out it would be fine. She lied to get this far. _"Do I truly deserve to be here?"_

"Bo. You're up?"

Bo looked up. "Hi Luke," she said as the blue haired man walked out of the bedroom. From his disheveled look, he had just woken up.

"Stop working so hard," Luke walked into the kitchen. Bo had already made breakfast and it was waiting for Luke. "You're going to make me look bad and then Dad would want me to work more."

"Sorry," replied Bo. "I just got really excited that Renee requested my carving work that I just had to work on it."

Luke laughed. "That's just like you Bo. But you do know that tonight is the New Year's Festival right?"

"I know," replied Bo. She checked the stool over to make sure everything was perfect. "Don't worry. I'll be there. I'm not going to miss the island celebration." From what Julius and Luke told her the New Year's festival was a huge event. After the sun set a huge party was thrown in Harmonica Town with many contests and celebration. It was all going to lead to the watching of the sunrise of the new year.

"You better be there or I'm going to drag you out of the shop if I have to."

Linelinelineline

Bo looked around Harmonica Town. It had been transformed into a place of celebration. Colorful lights hung off all the buildings. The town was packed with everyone from the different districts. This was probably the first time Bo saw everyone in one place at once. There were so many people here.

"Luke!" Selena broke out of the crowd around the piles of food and hugged Luke. Bo felt a slight twinge of annoyance but she pushed it away.

"Hey Selena," he said as he hugged her back.

Bo didn't get to see what else they did for she had turned away to look around the festival area. She didn't know why but lately she was really starting to hate Selena for no reason. Maybe it was because she liked to hang around the carpenter shop and asked Luke a lot of questions in an annoying loud voice. It just grated against Bo's ears.

Noticing a crowd of people and some loud music Bo headed over to it. Luna was strutting on the stage. She was wearing a pretty white dress and she was showing it off from every angle. Bo realized that this must be the fashion contest. After Luna walked off the runway Julius was up next. The young man showed off some very fabulous clothes that matched his personality in every way.

"Hello Bo."

Bo froze up and slowly turned her head to the person standing next to her. "Oh. Hello Toby," she said slowly.

"I am happy we have an understanding," said Toby. He was smiling but Bo didn't feel any warmth from it at all. "As I noticed, Renee is not going after you anymore. I was a bit surprised when she started going after Kasey but that seemed to subside quickly. Although we are not a couple at all, well she has started talking to me more." He opened his eyes slightly to reveal the creepy greenness of them. "And for that I thank you."

"Great," Bo said trying to show off happiness for Toby but he was just too creepy for her.

"Good luck with your apprenticeship," Toby disappeared in the crowd of people.

Bo sucked in a deep breath and exhaled it. That was the scariest thing that has happened to her. That exchange had probably taken off a couple years of her life. "Note to self," she said. "Never make a fisherman hate you ever again. Otherwise you won't live past thirty."

"Bo!" Luke ran over. "I turn around and you're gone."

"Oh sorry," said Bo. "I just thought you wanted to spend the night with Selena."

Bo shook his head. "Naw." He gestured behind him to Selena who was with an older woman and man. "Selena wants to spend the time with her family. They came to visit and since that's really rare..." Luke shrugged. "Well that means you get to spend the night with me!"

"Sure," replied Bo smiling. "But you have to promise me not to drink."

Luke's face fell. "You drive a hard bargain Bo but I guess I'll go along with it."

Linelinelineline

Julius stepped off the stage with a shiny trophy in hand. It wasn't much of a surprise that he had won the fashion contest. His sense of style was just too fabulous for everyone. As he left the stage area Simon and Hayden began altering the stage for the mining contest which was up next. Julius didn't care much for that.

"Now where is Bo?" he asked himself. He had remembered seeing her while he was on stage before to show off his clothes. After a quick look around (and dodging Kasey and Hikari in another fight) he finally spotted her down at the beach with Luke. A huge pile of food was next to them and it was pretty obvious they were having a good time together. Julius smiled and turned away.

Linelinelineline

"And the Peck jumped out of the bushes and pecked me on the head!" Luke covered his head like he was getting pecked by the ostrich before leaning back. "And that's how Peck got the name Peck!"

Bo chuckled. "Wow. I didn't think Peck had a long story behind his name."

"Trust me," said Luke. 'There's a lot more stories involving Peck. That was just the first of many." He picked up one of the shrimp out of one of the plates near them and gulped it down. "You got any stories to tell?"

Bo picked up one of the finger sandwiches and slowly chewed on it. "Not really," she replied. "I never had much of an exciting life like this. That was my sister." She fell silent as she thought of her sister again.

Luke placed a hand on Bo's shoulder in comfort. She looked over at him gratefully. Luke looked away quickly. "Darn," he whispered.

Before Bo could ask why he said that, Luke got up. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong," replied Luke. He looked very distressed. "It's just that I can't do this."

Before Bo could ask what the young man had already walked up the beach back to the town. She was seriously confused to what had just happened. She wondered if she did something wrong. She grabbed another finger sandwich and munched away as she waited for the sunrise of the new year.


	32. A Choice That Needs To Be Made

**Bo: Well we're one chapter closer to the end.**

**Julius: I'm going to miss our craziness together.**

**Bo: True…but that doesn't mean I'm going to miss all this torture you put me through!**

The gentle sound of birds came through the open window that let in a nice breeze to Bo who was working on another project. Spring was definitely here. However nothing really changed for Bo. She had her work, her dream to become a carpenter. But now, now she was seriously wondering about the dream of hers. Was it really worth all of this?

"Bo?" Bo looked up at Dale. "Have you seen Luke?"

She shook her head. "No, but I think I saw him outside with Selena."

Dale sighed and went back to the counter with the cash register. Bo on the other hand returned to her work. She hated to think about it but Luke had been spending so much time with Selena lately. It had even got to the point that Dale had to ban Luke from seeing her on some days so Luke could get some work done.

_"Why do I care?"_ she thought. She shook her head and focused her attention on the wood carving before her. _"Luke can do whatever he wants._"

As she carved her mind was in turmoil. Luke had been talking about Selena more and more. Plus it seemed like he was avoiding her even more now than before. He only talked to her if he wanted something or if Dale wanted him to get her. It bugged more than it should and she didn't understand it at all.

"Ow!" Bo looked down at her thumb in shock. Blood welled up from a freshly-made cut. This was the first time she had cut her finger while carving since coming here. She grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around her finger tightly before she went hunting for a band aid.

"You alright?" Dale asked when he noticed Bo taking out the first-aid kit.

"Fine," replied Bo. She unwrapped the cloth around her finger before beginning to treat the cut. Geez. It was bleeding way more than a cut should. She winced as she treated it with alcohol before wrapping it up with a bandage.

"That's the first time you've cut yourself while carving," said Dale.

Bo turned to the large man. "Uh yeah," she replied.

"Is something on your mind?" asked Dale.

"Just stuff," replied Bo. She shook her head. "Well, I don't really know what's on my mind."

Dale shot Bo a knowing look. "Did someone catch your eye?"

Bo almost dropped the first aid kit. She could feel heat rising to her face. She turned away from Dale, her full attention on putting the kit away. Calm down Bo. "What are you talking about?" she asked lightly.

Dale chuckled. "It might be surprising but I was your age at one point too." He smiled and shook his head. "Luke's mother was quite the woman back then." His eyes seemed to glaze over as he went to the past. "She was so upbeat and happy and I never thought she would choose me. Did you know she actually had her eyes on Owen's father at first? Well, where I'm going with this is that don't worry about the person you like. If you keep going after them then they will see what a great person you are."

"Thanks for the tip Dale but I don't have anyone," replied Bo.

"Sure," replied Dale. He smiled. "Anyway, want to go find my useless son? He has an order he has to get done by tomorrow."

Bo nodded. She didn't know if she would be able to carve well with a throbbing thumb. She headed out the door but didn't really know where to go. After thinking for a bit she decided to head down to Harmonica Town. She laughed as she crawled into the minecart. She was not afraid of the rickety old cart now. It was just a fast way to get to the town.

Before she pulled the brake out she spotted Kasey heading for the goddess spring. Oh boy. Looks like they were fighting again. And it was getting pretty close to Hikari's due date too…

Bo shook her head. It would do no good to try to say anything to him so instead she released the brake and the cart zoomed towards Harmonica Town.

Linelinelineline

Bo left the Brass Bar. The moon was rising overhead. She couldn't believe it. She had combed the town twice and Luke wasn't here. She ran her fingers through her hair. Where was he? Why couldn't he tell anyone where he was going?

Hearing the sound of a horn, she spotted Pascal's boat coming in. Of course. Why didn't she think about this before? Obviously he went to Toucan Island. She hurried over to the dock as the boat stopped.

"There you are Luke," she said sternly as the young man jumped out of the boat. "Dale was looking for you."

Luke seemed to ignore Bo's words. Instead he was hopping up and down. "Bo, you won't believe it!"

"What is it?" asked Bo. He was so excited that it was kind of contagious.

Luke held out something to Bo. At first she couldn't tell what it was in the weak nightlight but it looked like a feather. "A blue feather!" said Luke when Bo didn't say anything. "Selena gave it to me today! Can you believe it Bo?" He hugged Bo for a moment before releasing her. "I have to go tell Dad!"

Bo on the other hand stood stock-still. "Oh Goddess," she whispered.


	33. Selfish Choice

**Julius: Well we're almost done folks!**

**Bo: Don't say that. There are still two more chapters after this one.**

**Julius: Yes but those chapters are special and will be released at the same time for…certain reasons. –shifty eyes-**

**Bo: -rolls eyes- Sure. Let's just go with that. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

The next couple of days went by as a blur. It seemed like the whole island was contributing to the wedding. Luna and Candace were making the wedding dress, food was being provided by the Brass Bar and the Inn. It was like everyone was on a wedding high.

Well, almost everyone. Bo was feeling miserable. She was assigned to work on the arches for the wedding. She had to put in beautiful carvings on it. Although she did do it she wasn't happy while doing it.

"Don't worry Bo," said Dale during a day when Bo was carving. "Someday you will find someone too. Luke just found his before you did."

Bo nodded in reply and went back to work. However she had a feeling it wasn't that at all.

The wedding day kept drawing closer and closer and the closer it got the more miserable Bo became. Unable to take it anymore, she headed for Julius's house.

"I don't get it anymore," said Bo when Julius answered the door.

The purple-haired man gave her a knowing smile and let her in. "I think I know what's going on here," he replied as he took her to the living room. The table was covered in jeweler equipment. Based on the colors of the jewels, this was for Selena's wedding dress. "You don't mind if I work while we talk right? I need to get these done."

"That's fine," replied Bo as she sat down in the seat across from Julius. She put her hands in her lap and looked down at them. "I don't get it Julius. I've been feeling weird for the past couple of days." She lifted one of her hands and held it before her heart. "Whenever I think about Luke marrying Selena, it hurts here."

Julius smiled. "You know what's wrong."

Bo shook her head. "I don't! That's why I'm here. Hang on." She lifted her head. "You know Julius?"

Julius just smiled. "Of course I do. And you should too if you think about it."

Bo was really getting tired of Julius's round-about speech. "Can you just tell me? Please?"

"The question you need to ask yourself is what do you think about Luke." Julius continued to work on a necklace for Selena's dress.

"What do I think about? He's a carpenter apprentice like me."

"You need to do better than that Bo. Think about it long and hard."

Bo fell silent. Think about it more? Other than her fellow apprentice he was a good friend. He used to listen to her a lot and joke around with her. She liked that about him. And how he treated her. Like an equal. He encouraged her to do her best. She tightened her fists. There was something else as well. An attraction to Luke that she didn't feel with anyone else. She swallowed. "I…" she whispered.

"You?" prompted Julius. He stopped his work and looked head on at Bo.

Bo locked her wide eyes with Julius, "I think…I think I'm in love with Luke."

Julius's smile broke out into a full force grin. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

"You knew?"

"Of course," replied Julius. His expression turned serious. "What are you going to do about it though? Luke is getting married in a couple of days."

Bo wrapped her arms around herself. Now that she finally realized how she felt about Luke everything made sense to her. "I don't know," she replied. "Luke is getting married to Selena and he thinks I'm a boy." She put her face into her hands. "What can I do?"

"Ask yourself this," said Julius. "Will you be happy just being on the side? Will you be happy to just sit on the side while Luke and Selena get married? Will you be okay living under the same roof as them as just a fellow apprentice?"

"I don't know what else I can do," whispered Bo. "I selfishly dressed up as a boy to come here. I'm here on a lie Julius. To break apart Luke's happiness just because I like him as well. That's just…"

Julius put down his tools and focused his attention fully on Bo. "Bo. You may have come here on a lie but you were following your dream. Even if you did come here selfishly, you were doing it so you could complete your dream of becoming a carpenter. You wanted to show others-wanted to make others happy with your carving and skills." He gestured to a chair in a corner of the room. It was one of the first orders Bo had done. "The design of the jewels on the chair legs. Your attention to detail. Bo. Your work make people happy. There's a reason why everyone loves to buy your work. It's because of your skill. The way I see it, you aren't being selfish at all. You're just spreading your gift to the world."

Bo smiled. "I guess but…" She thought about Luke. He would be married in a few days. Could she really try to break apart his happiness with Selena? No. She couldn't. Luke and Selena would be happy together. She couldn't throw them for a loop because she wanted to tell him her feelings.

"I think Luke is struggling as well," said Julius.

"Huh?"

"It's just a feeling," Julius picked up one of the big jewels that was going to go on the dress. "But I think Luke is trying to understand his attraction to you. Don't worry. I don't think anything bad will happen if you tell him."

"Do you really think so?" whispered Bo.

"It's your choice in the end," said Julius. "But think about it. What will truly make you happy? This is a matter of the heart. You're allowed to be selfish about this one."

Bo looked down at her hands. What choice would she make? "I need to think about this."

"Go ahead," replied Julius. "But remember," he added when Bo got up to leave. "You don't have much time left. Choose wisely."

Linelinelineline

The days before the wedding past by quickly. Bo spent the time thinking of the best course of action. When she figured out what she was going to do, well, it was the day of the wedding.

Bo sat down with the rest of the guests at the church. Everyone from the island were here to see the wedding. Bo bit her lip. She wondered if she would be able to go through with it.

"I can't believe he's getting married," said Dale from next to Bo. He laughed. "I never thought my son would even catch someone's eye like this."

Bo didn't say anything in reply. Her stomach was in knots. She felt like she was going to throw up. She heard the music begin but she could barely focus on Selena walking up the isle in her wedding dress. Her palms were sweaty. She could barely hear Perry going through the ceremony.

"Are you alright Bo?" whispered Dale.

Bo could barely take this anymore. She suddenly stood up. All eyes fell on her. She took many deep breaths as she looked around the church. The only eyes that weren't on her in a questioning look was Julius. He just looked surprised. Well only for a moment though. He shrugged and nodded.

"Do you have something to say Bo?" asked Perry.

"I..." began Bo. She took another breath and bowed low. "I'm sorry! I was going to do this after the wedding was over but I…I just couldn't take it anymore."

"What are you talking about Bo?" asked Luke. He was in a nice suit and he wasn't wear his signature bandana.

Bo's hands began to shake as she lifted her head. Tears were forming at the crooks of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Dale, Luke. Everyone!" She turned to look behind her. Her eyes caught Toby sitting the back. He didn't say anything but he was smiling as well. Was he routing for her? She hoped he was. Otherwise that smile on his face was just too creepy.

"What are you apologizing for?" asked Dale.

Bo returned her attention to the front where Luke was. "I know I'm being selfish. I know I am a bad person for saying this here and now but Luke, I…I…I love you."

Gasps ran throughout the church. "YEAH!" screamed Hikari as she jumped to her feet. Murmurs ran through the islanders. Of course it didn't take much imagination to figure what they were talking about.

Luke seemed to be the most shocked of it all.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Selena. "You're both guys! It's impossible!"

Bo shook her head. "That's the second thing. I'm not a boy. Luke, I'm a girl." At the last sentence she returned her voice to its normal tone.

The second reveal brought even more murmurs than her last reveal. Luke's golden eyes were wide. "You're a girl? But…but…that can't be!"

"It's true," replied Julius. He stood up and walked into the isle. "Bo is a girl. I can vouch for it. And Toby can too." Everyone turned to Toby and the fisherman just nodded.

"But that means that I…" Renee fell into a dead faint and would have fallen if Toby hadn't caught her.

"I'm sorry," said Bo as she turned to Dale. "I just wanted to be a carpenter. I wanted to train under you but you don't accept girls. I thought you were just being a sexist person until I found out the truth and…" She shook her head. "I was the selfish person." Tears were falling freely down her face. "I'm sorry." She walked out into the isle. "Selena, I'm sorry I ruined your wedding day. I just couldn't keep the secret anymore." She turned her eyes to Luke and bit her lip. She shook her head. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret. I shouldn't be here anymore."

With those words she turned and ran out of the church. She didn't really remember how but she ended up at the pier. Pascal's boat was waiting for her. Along with a familiar face. "Vivi," she whispered.

"From those tears on your cheeks, I'm guessing that you finally told it," said the witch.

Bo nodded. "It was harder than I thought it would be," she wiped her tears but they kept coming back.

"Visit again someday alright?" said Vivi. "I need someone to take all the dresses that Hikari gives me."

"Sure," said Bo before she climbed onto Pascal's boat. Her stuff was already here and she had given Pascal's instructions to leave as soon as she was on board.

Pascal began to pull the boat out of the pier. She went to the back and watched the island get smaller and smaller. Maybe this could be called running away. She didn't think of it like that though. She was atoning for the lie she had to get here. She was leaving the place where she ruined someone's happiness. She gripped the railing tightly. The island was hardly visible now but she thought she could see someone on the pier waving to her.

Naw. That was probably her imagination. Bo turned away from the island and headed for the cabin of the boat. She came to the island as a boy, she would leave it was a girl.


	34. Return to the Begining: Ending 1

**Julius: Here we are! The final two chapters of Dreaming by a Secret. I never thought we would get this far. –sniff- It's so beautiful.**

**Bo: -rolls eyes- Anyway, this and the next chapter are actually alternate ending chapters. So you get two endings for the price of one!**

**Julius: I like the second ending much better than the first.**

**Bo: Of course you do…**

Pascal steered the boat towards Castanet. The sea breeze was gentle and comforting while the sea birds cried out overhead. "We're almost there," he told the young woman sitting in the cabin.

"Thank you Pascal," said the young woman as she walked out of the cabin. The young woman was pretty with a little longer than shoulder-length blond hair. She placed a strand behind her ears as she looked out at the fast approaching island.

"Excuse me for asking Miss but have we met somewhere before?" asked Pascal.

The young woman turned to Pascal and smiled. "Of course we have Pascal. It's been three years though."

"Bo?" Pascal stared at the young woman in shock. He had heard about the carpenter apprentice being female after he had returned to the island that day.

Bo nodded. "Sorry for lying three years ago." She turned her attention back to growing island in front of them. "But I finally think I'm ready to face them again."

"Alright," replied Pascal as he returned to steering the boat into the pier.

When they finally made it, Bo jumped onto the dock. She waved goodbye to Pascal before heading into town. Wow. Looking at the many shops and such, nothing had changed in the past three years.

Unlike her.

After leaving the island Bo contacted Joe from Leaf Valley and worked there for a while. When she had gotten there and found out that a young woman named Gwen also worked there she told them she was a girl. After working there for about a year she had enough money to open up her own little carpenter shop. It was nice but she worked alone while gathering her courage for this day.

"There you are," a familiar purpled-haired man stepped out of the tailor shop. He placed his hands on his hips. "You took your sweet time in coming back here you know that?"

"Julius," Bo ran over and hugged him. "I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner or write or anything. It's just…"

"You don't have to say anything," replied Julius. He gestured in the direction of the church. "Now go for the reason that you came back. We can talk and catch up later."

"Thank you Julius," whispered Bo. She smiled at him. "I'm sure my sister is grateful for you for helping me and I'm sorry that it didn't work out between you two."

Julius looked surprised for a moment before he shook his head while smiling. "Just go Bo."

She nodded and ran up the stairs to the church. She passed it and headed down the flight of stairs to the mine cart of doom. She climbed into the rickety old cart and remembered the first time she was in this cart. She was so scared of it back then. Things changed so quickly since then.

"Well," she commented, "Better get going!" She released the brake and shot through the tunnel with incredible speed. In no time she was in the Garmon Mine District. "That seemed faster than last time," she commented as she climbed out of the cart. She locked it in place before hurrying over to the carpenter shop.

Peck was outside and he lifted his head as Bo approached. He squawked and ran to her side. "It's been a long time Peck," she said as she petted the ostrich on the head. She stared at the entrance of the carpenter shop and swallowed. This was the reason why she came here. "Wish me luck Peck," she whispered before walking to the entrance of the carpenter shop. With a deep breath she pushed the door open.

Dale was behind the counter. He looked up and his eyes widen when he saw Bo standing there. "Bo?" he asked.

Bo took a deep breath and took another step into the shop. She let the door close behind her with a thud before she lowered herself in a low bow. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about what I did."

She heard Dale's footsteps coming towards her and the first thought that went through her head was that he was going to scold her or worse hit her. He did none of those things. "Lift your head Bo," he said. Bo complied. The large man had his arms crossed and he looked angry. However after living with him for almost a year she knew he wasn't angry at all.

"You took your sweet time in coming back. People here really love your carving work." He shook his head. "I haven't been able to figure out how to carve like you." He held out his hand. "So? You want to come back to work under me?"

Bo stared at Dale in shock. "I thought you would be mad," she said. "I thought you would want nothing to do with me."

"At first I didn't," replied Dale. "But then I thought about it. The only reason you did it as so you can train under me. You did it for your dream." He patted Bo on the head. "And you showed me something else. After I knew you were a girl, I knew Luke's mother would be happy. I know she would have wanted me to train you."

"Thank you," whispered Bo. She rubbed away tears that were starting to well up in her eyes.

"Of course you are going to need to hang out in the inn until I make another room at the shop. Now that you're a girl, well I can't have you sleeping in the same room as Luke now can I?" At the thought of Luke Bo's expression fell.

"I'm sorry," she said as she stepped back. "I can't accept the offer, but I'm grateful for you to offer. I'll go now." She ignored Dale's protesting as she stepped out of the shop. As she climbed down the steps and began the walk towards the mine cart someone stepped out of the forest. Bo froze in her tracks and stared at Luke for a few moments. He still looked the same even though it's been three years.

"Bo? Is that you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought it would be a good idea to come here but…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry; I'll get out of here." She quickly walked past Luke.

She didn't get very far though for Luke grabbed her arm. Bo stopped and looked back at Luke. "You aren't leaving that easily," he said. "Not again." He tightened his grip on her arm and Bo winced. As if realizing what he was doing he loosed his grip but before Bo could try to escape he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.

"Luke," whispered Bo into his chest. "What are you doing? You're married to Selena. Let me go."

"The wedding was canceled after you left," said Luke. "When you revealed that you were a girl, well it all made sense. I finally understood the feelings I had for you."

What? Luke had feelings for her? "What are you talking about?" she whispered. She knew she had to push away but she couldn't.

"I kept trying to push away my feelings for you. That's why I spent so much time with Selena. I was hoping I would fall in love with her so you wouldn't be affected." He chuckled. "I accepted her marriage proposal for that reason alone. After you revealed you were a girl, I just couldn't go through with the wedding."

Bo swallowed slowly. She was trembling. "I didn't know," she whispered. "I just thought you hated me. I didn't know why but I…" The rest of her words were muffled as Luke pressed his lips to hers. At first she resisted but then she let him in. The kiss seemed to go on forever.

"I hate you Kasey you know that!"

The voice of Hikari made the two break away quickly as Hikari stormed past them on the way to the mine.

"Well, nothing has really changed since you left," laughed Luke.

"I can see that," replied Bo with a laugh. She glanced over at Luke out of the corner of her eye. She was so happy. He felt the same way about her. And if what he said was correct he had waited for her to come back for three years. That was some dedication.

"Are you going to stay on the island?" asked Luke.

Bo smiled and nodded. "I think I have to now. Although I have to tell Dale though. I rejected it before. I hope he'll let me."

"Don't worry, if he doesn't then I'll make him!" He grabbed Bo's hand and began pulling her towards the carpenter shop. "Let's do it now okay?"

"Sure," replied Bo as she followed Luke to the carpenter shop. _"Beatrice,"_ she thought. _"It looks like my dream came through after all."_ A glance to the man clutching her hand made her add,_ "and not only my carpenter dream came true."_


	35. Moving Away From the Past: Ending 2

**Bo: Well, here we are, the final chapter of Dreaming of the Secret.**

**Julius: This chapter is an ending where I win in the end.**

**Bo: You're enjoying this aren't you?**

**Julius: Of course I am!**

Bo stood up and looked down at her work. The chair she had just finished was a simple design but the carving work on the legs was her personal touch. It was her carve work that made her a successful carpenter. She smiled sadly as she reminisced on the past.

It had been six years since she had left Castanet. She had contacted Joe from Leaf Valley and worked there for a year before she opened up her own carpenter shop. Surprisingly her business was a success. In five years' time her carpenter business had expanded to the point where she could start taking on apprentices herself. Surprisingly she was able to get a couple right away. It seems like her unique carving skills had actually attracted attention and when she put the ad in Carpenter Digest about wanting apprentices…

Bo smiled at the four apprentices that were working in her huge workshop area. Two girls and two boys. Her smile fell away as she thought of Dale's shop. She had gotten a letter from Dale a year ago. It said that although he couldn't forgive her for lying to him; he understood why she did it. He was glad that she was able to achieve her dream in the end. However he told her that she shouldn't come back to the island anytime soon. Apparently Luke and Selena ended up getting married after all and Selena hated Bo's guts. If Bo was to return, well it wouldn't go so well for her.

She shook her head. Why was she reminiscing about the past now? She still had so much work and orders to get done. "Come on guys!" she called out to her apprentices. "It's almost Christmas and people want their presents done by then!"

A chorus of "alright" and "okay" ran through the four apprentices. Bo smiled and turned her attention to the next order. A table with some carved ivy vines on the legs. One of her apprentices had made the table. After a quick check to make sure the table was sturdy and perfect she began work on the ivy vines. As soon as she began carving she fell into the zone. Everything around her faded away, the only thing she could think of was the work in front of her. Nothing else mattered.

"Uh, Bo?"

Bo blinked and turned to the voice. It was one of her apprentices. "What is it?" she asked.

"There's someone at the door. He's asking for you. He says that it's urgent and that he needs to see you right away."

Bo wondered who it could be. The shop was closed so she and the apprentices could work on the orders for the day. She placed her carving knife away before heading to the front of the shop and out the door. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw who it was.

"You grew out your hair. I'm glad. Long hair suits you much better than that boy cut you had before."

Bo's hands went to her mouth. The young man before her looked the same as he did six years ago. He was wearing a fashionable furry jacket that looked as fashionable as it was warm. Not a single strand of purple hair was out of place. "Julius," she whispered. "What are you…"

"Isn't it obvious," he replied. "I came to see you Bo." He shook his head. "Honestly, it was difficult to find you at first. In the end I had to ask Dale for it."

"But why did you come here?" she asked him. "I mean, this is far from Castanet. Is the shop okay?"

"Mira said she could handle it," replied Julius. "Anyway, how have you been?"

"Fine," replied Bo. She gestured to the carpenter shop behind her. "As you can see, business is doing well." She looked at the ground. "I found out that Luke and Selena got married."

Julius didn't say anything but he watched Bo's expression carefully. "I'm sorry it didn't work out between you two."

Bo shook her head. "I know why. I was there on a lie. Luke never got to know the real me. But I'm over it now." She struggled to smile. "I'm over it…" She could feel tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I'm over it, I really am," she said as she rubbed her eyes. "It's just that when I think about it sometimes-" Her voice was cut off as Julius wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Don't worry," he said, "If you want a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you."

Bo felt so safe and happy in his arms. "I…I relied on you a lot during that time," she said. Now that she thought about it, Julius was always there for her. He was always close by to listen to whatever she wanted to say. She never realized until now how much she relied on him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "You probably had your own stuff to do and I spent all my time there pushing my problems on you."

"I was fine with that," said Julius softly.

Bo blinked and looked up at him. The way he was looking down at her, the way he was holding her, it made sense now. "Julius…do you like me?"

Julius just smiled down at her. "Well it took six years but I guess I'll accept it."

Fresh tears welled up in Bo's eyes. "Oh Julius," she whispered. She buried her face in his coat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't notice."

"Don't worry about it," said Julius. "I would be happy if you were happy."

Bo couldn't believe it. Julius was just too nice to her. "I'm not worth the trouble," she said softly. She lifted her head and pushed herself out of Julius's embrace. She rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I shouldn't get your coat dirty with my snot."

"I'll let you get my coat dirty," said Julius.

"Just give me some time to think about it," said Bo. "I need to sort out my feelings."

"Of course," said Julius. He scribbled an address on a small slip of paper and handed it to her. "I'm going to be in town for a few days. Just come by whenever you're ready."

Bo clutched the piece of paper to her chest and nodded. "Okay Julius."

The fashionable man turned and walked in the direction of one of the many inns in town. Bo looked down at the slip of paper in her hand. She had stopped her heart ever since she found out that Luke had married Selena. Now maybe her heart could finally move forward again. Maybe not at first though. She had to finally push her feelings for Luke behind her but she knew she would be able to do it soon. She would finally be able to move on with her life with Julius. Now that she thought about it there was probably something there for him but she had been too blinded by Luke to see it.

_"Are you watching me Beatrice?"_ she thought. _"Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know there was a chance I would end up with Julius? There are many dreams out there and some end up different than how they were dreamt in the first place."_

**Bo: -collapses- Well, that's it! Dream by a Secret is officially over!**

**Julius: Yes it is. So sad but we had a lot of fun!**

**Bo: The writer would like to thank everyone for sticking with this story until the end. She never thought this story would get as many fans as it did! And this story all stemmed from a dream she had about me being a girl!**

**Julius: Anyway, hopefully I'll see you all again soon since I am one of the main characters in a story she's planning out involving Candace and Luna.**

**Bo: I'll also be making an appearance in that one too. Just not in the same way as I am in this story. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to read Dreaming by a Secret!**


End file.
